Achievements of AFC, Abbott to be highlighted at AFC's 25th Anniversary Gala

Apr 6 2010

Two events occurred in 1985 that proved pivotal in the local and national fight against AIDS: the founding of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and the development of the first-ever diagnostic test licensed to identify HIV in the blood by Abbott.

“But today with state-of-the-art treatment and prevention programs that work, we believe that no one has to become infected or die from this disease. We're so grateful that Abbott shares our commitment to preventing new infections and improving the lives of people with HIV.”

Twenty-five years later, AFC is recognized as one of the nation's leading AIDS organizations and millions of patients are safely given blood transfusions each year thanks to diagnostic tests that safeguard the blood supply.

Both of these milestones will be highlighted on Saturday, May 1 at AFC's 25^th Anniversary Gala, Not Just Song & Dance, presented by Abbott and featuring entertainment by the all-female '80s rockers The Bangles. The event is not only a "party with a purpose," but a time to reflect on the great strides that have been made in the battle to end HIV/AIDS - an epidemic that did not exist before 1981 - and on the challenges that remain. (Learn more at: aidschicago.org/gala.)

"When we started in 1985, we had great hope and great vision, but few tools. In the early days we were really helping people die with dignity," said AFC president/CEO Mark Ishaug, who has been with the organization for 19 years. "But today with state-of-the-art treatment and prevention programs that work, we believe that no one has to become infected or die from this disease. We're so grateful that Abbott shares our commitment to preventing new infections and improving the lives of people with HIV."

"Abbott is proud to honor the AIDS Foundation of Chicago for leading the charge for change for 25 years," said Michael Warmuth, senior vice president, Abbott diagnostics. "It is through the combined efforts of community organizations like AFC and industry that HIV is now a manageable disease in many parts of the world."

On November 13, 1985 - a little more than a month after actor Rock Hudson become the first major public figure known to have died of AIDS - a group of dedicated community activists and physicians including Dr. Ron Sable, Dr. Renslow Sherer, Judy Carter, and William Young, formed the AIDS Foundation of Chicago to respond to the emergent devastation of AIDS in the nation's third largest city.

"In 1985, there was really no central organization to coordinate the care of people living with HIV. We had good surveillance, we were counting people who were sick and who were dying, but there was no organization to help coordinate the different hospitals and clinics and support service organizations throughout the Chicago area," recalled AFC founder Dr. Renslow Sherer, professor of medicine in the Section of Infectious Disease and Global Health at the University of Chicago, who remembers receiving word of so many funerals during the early days of AIDS that the sheer number of them prevented him from attending each one.

Since its founding, AFC has made many significant, long-term contributions to improving the quality of life of communities hardest hit by AIDS:

• Beginning in 1986, its Service Providers Council has united agencies helping people with HIV/AIDS from the nine-country Chicago metropolitan area in an effort to share best practices and ensure efficient, consistent service delivery.
• The regional HIV/AIDS case management system, which AFC convenes, is a national model of service integration. The system serves HIV-positive individuals who struggle with homelessness, mental illness, addiction, poverty and other health concerns. Every year, upwards of 5,000 people receive assistance from the system's 165 case managers working at 49 agencies across metropolitan Chicago.
• AFC's grant-making program has distributed more than $18 million for HIV prevention, care, and advocacy projects since 1988.
• AFC's annual 5K event, AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, has netted more than $2.5 million for the fight against AIDS since 2001, with $1 million generated from its innovative Community Direct program in which 100% of all monies raised by the team of a participating AIDS service organization are returned directly to that organization.
• Working with community partners, AFC has built a system of affordable housing that addresses the prevention and care needs of people with HIV/AIDS. Today, this housing network provides rental subsidies and permanent supportive housing to more than 630 low-income people with HIV/AIDS and their family members on whom the disease has had an impact.
• AFC's network includes thousands of activists who have fought throughout the organization's history for sound local, state, and federal HIV/AIDS policies. AFC is also working closely with the White House Office of National AIDS Policy on the development of a National AIDS Strategy to guide federal efforts to prevent HIV transmission, increase access to HIV care, and reduce racial/ethnic health disparities.

"AFC is proud to have helped develop a comprehensive response to the HIV/AIDS, and our collective effects have assisted tens of thousands of people affected by the epidemic," said AFC vice president David Munar. "Together with grassroots, government, medical and scientific partners, we have made huge strides in confronting the epidemic of our lifetime."

The year 1985 also saw a world in which people were afraid to receive or donate blood for fear of contracting the virus, where people delayed life-saving surgery, where an estimated one in 100 blood transfusions was infected with HIV in some U.S. cities.

Much of that changed on March 2, 1985, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first-ever blood screening test for HIV antibodies. The test took nine months of around-the-clock work by dozens of Abbott scientists to develop and could detect antibodies produced by the donor's immune system in response to the presence of the virus. At the time, there was no other approved test to detect HIV anywhere in the world and it was immediately adopted by the American Red Cross and other blood organizations.

According to Dr. James Curran, dean and professor of epidemiology of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University: "Abbott's HIV antibody test was a pivotal public health milestone that ushered an era of scientific progress against AIDS, in which untold millions of lives were saved through enhanced detection of the virus and prevention of its transmission. In my opinion, this breakthrough was a landmark medical milestone for protecting public health."

Since the launch of its first diagnostic test in 1985, Abbott has developed six additional tests for blood banks as well as two leading drug therapies, called protease inhibitors, for the treatment of HIV. Thanks to innovations like these, the nation's blood supply is considered extremely safe today and people with HIV can live healthy, productive lives.

"As we mark the 25^th anniversary of our first HIV antibody test, we proudly pay tribute to organizations like AFC who continue to advocate for change and to scientists around the world, including our own, who have contributed to better diagnostics and treatment of HIV," said Abbott's Warmuth.

Earlier this year, Abbott announced it has submitted the ARCHITECT Ab/Ag HIV Combo Assay to the FDA for expedited review. This assay can aid in the early detection of HIV. The earlier a patient can be diagnosed, the sooner the patient can be placed into care and the better chance there is to stop further spread of the virus.

"As we look forward, we face tremendous challenges: more people living with HIV/AIDS than ever before; better, costly therapies that are not available to all who need them; persistent HIV/AIDS stigma," said AFC's Ishaug. "But given the policy and scientific advancements I've witnessed in my lifetime, I am confident that the challenges we face can be overcome with hope - and action."

SOURCE AIDS Foundation of Chicago