Twenty years of information,
advocacy and inspiration—1998

Project Inform achievements (1985–2004)     View PDF

Project Inform milestones:

• Expanded advocacy trainings to several states, facilitating the development of statewide coalitions.
• Published the Second Edition of the HIV Drug Book.
• Created the Fair Pricing Coalition, the first formal grouping organized to negotiate the pricing of new drugs and price increases on older drugs with the pharmaceutical industry. Project Informs retains a leadership role in this coalition to this day.

Epidemic milestones:

• Minority AIDS Initiative created in U.S., after African American leaders declare a “state of emergency” and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to do the same.
• 12th International AIDS Conference (“Bridging the Gap”) is held in Geneva, Switzerland.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issues first national guidelines for the use of antiretroviral therapy in adults.
• The U.S. Supreme Court in Bragdon v. Abbot rules that the Americans with Disabilities Act covers those in earlier stages of HIV disease, not just AIDS.
• Drug-resistant strains of HIV appear.
• The CDC announces the AIDS death rate dropped an incredible 47% from 1996 to 1997. However, the rate of new HIV infections—40,000 a year—is not declining, showing a need for innovative new prevention efforts.
• The first Phase III (large-scale) clinical trial of an HIV vaccine begins.
• FDA approves use of efavirenz (Sustiva) and abacavir (Ziagen).