40+ YEARS OF HIV/AIDS RESEARCH IN THE US
research
Milestones in science, research, and medicine that changed our understanding and care for HIV/AIDS.
1968
15-year-old Robert Rayford checks in to City Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He has symptoms of a weakened immune system and passes away the following year.
Doctors would test Rayford’s blood more than a decade later and find evidence of HIV. Today, some researchers consider this to be the first case of HIV/AIDS in the United States.
1968
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JUNE 5, 1981
JUNE 5
In the CDC’s “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR),” Dr. Michael Gottlieb and colleagues publish “Pneumocystis Pneumonia – Los Angeles,” a report describing a rare lung infection among a group of five previously healthy gay men living in Los Angeles. This marks the first official report of AIDS in medical literature.
1981
This document, promoting media coverage and in turn the confirmation of similar cases in areas around the country, is known for putting the epidemic on the map and prompting a deeper scientific investigation into the subject.
Source: https://www.aaihs.org/why-black-aids-history-matters/
Photo: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/sldc/brownfields/City-Hospital.cfm
The first-ever blood screening test for HIV antibodies, developed by Abbott, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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1985
1985
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“I interacted with Presidents. I interacted with gay activists. Author and activist Larry Kramer is a dear friend who was a long-time nemesis. I remember he wanted to get my attention by writing an open letter to 'that incompetent idiot' Dr. Tony Fauci. He needed to stir the pot.”
1984
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci becomes the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) president.
Initially criticized by LGBTQIA+ activists for his handling of the epidemic, he eventually worked closely with members of the community and adopted their suggestion of adding people with HIV to all the committees overseeing his AIDS research programs.
1984
1987
The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) is created by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Hugely impactful in identifying treatments and prevention strategies, it is the world’s largest and longest-running clinical trials network focused on HIV and other infectious diseases.
1987
MARCH 19, 1987
1987
AZT (zidovudine) becomes the first medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat HIV/AIDS.
Part of an antiretroviral class of drugs, these drugs are used to suppress a retrovirus, like HIV, from multiplying in the body.
March 19
1988
1988
WITS – The Women and Infants Transmission Study is founded in response to the growing HIV epidemic amongst U.S. women and infants.
The initial aim of the study was to “delineate the natural history of HIV infection in
pregnant women and their infants and to determine clinical and laboratory factors associated with maternal-infant transmission.”
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1989
1989
The head of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Anthony Fauci, endorses a parallel track policy that gives those who do not qualify for clinical trials access to experimental treatments.
OCTOBER 26, 1990
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves use of zidovudine (ZVD or AZT) for pediatric HIV/AIDS.
OCTOBER 26
1990
1991
The AIDS Clinical Trails Group (ACTG) divides into two groups - Adult ACTG (AACTG) and Pediatric ACTG (PACTG) – each to focus on more treatments and preventions in their demographics.
1991
APRIL 1991
Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trial Group (PACTG) and the National Agency of Research on AIDs begin a trial evaluating zidovudine (ZVD or AZT) in HIV-positive pregnant women.
APRIL
1991
The PACTG 076 trial was a breakthrough in research, eventually showing a reduction in the risk of HIV transmission from parent to child (from 25% to 8%) and informing a new standard of care for children and parents. It was also first demonstrated that HIV medications could prevent HIV infection, leading to the development of PrEP two decades later.
Today, in the US, less than 100 babies acquire HIV/AIDS each year through mother-to-child transmission.
1993
U.S. Public Health Service recommends the use of Zidovudine for pregnant mothers living with HIV to reduce perinatal viral transmission.
These recommendations were made after the results of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 076 showed it could reduce the risk of transmission from mother to child by 2/3rds.
1993
DECEMBER 1995
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves Saquinavir, the first protease inhibitor. This is the start of Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy (HAART), which uses a combination of medications to fight the virus today, is understood as a groundbreaking moment in HIV treatment, drastically improving the chances of surviving and thriving for people living with HIV.
Today, protease inhibitors make up a major category of anti-HIV medicines by blocking the action of the enzyme protease, which is needed for the virus to make more HIV.
december
1995
SEPTEMBER 26, 1997
The FDA approves Combivir, a combination of two antiretroviral drugs in one tablet. The medication is groundbreaking in efforts to simplify therapy for people living with HIV.
SEPTEMBER 26
1997
2006
Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group (PACTG) and the Perinatal Scientific Working Group of the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) to form IMPAACT, a global collaboration working on the treatment, prevention, and ultimate cure of HIV/AIDS.
They do this by conducting clinical trails globally in a variety of demographics, including infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant and postpartum individuals.
2006
JULY 16, 2012
The FDA approves the use of Truvada® for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Adults who do not have HIV but who are at risk for infection can now take this medication to reduce their risk of getting the virus through sexual activity.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis works by setting up fortified “walls” around CD4 cells. These walls keep HIV from crossing into the healthy cells and replicating.
2012
JULY 16
january 15, 2021
The FDA approves Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine, injectable formulation) the first long-acting injectable HIV treatment given once a month. This is the first alternative to a daily oral treatment regimen.
January 15
2021
june 5, 2021
June 5, 2021 marks forty years since the first case of AIDS was reported.
JUNE 5
2021
The timeline above is presented for educational purposes only. We do not own the copyright to any of the written, audio, and/or visual media presented in the timeline. PHACS does not endorse any organizations or viewpoints of sources. Where possible, specific dates have been provided in chronological order.
All sources can be found here. The timeline is regularly checked to ensure accuracy, but due to the growing nature of the timeline, some inaccuracies may occur. For suggestions, corrections, or all other inquiries please email phacs.hecc.leadership@fstrf.org
