HIV Infections

BOISE, Idaho, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Sharon E. Oster, MD, is acknowledged as a Pinnacle Life Member for her contributions to the fields of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Oster began her academic journey at the University of Colorado, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Distinction and was inducted into The Phi Beta Kappa Society. She furthered her education at East Virginia Medical School, where she completed her medical degree in 1980. Recognized as the Resident of the Year, she completed her residency at the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center. Dr. Oster has extensive experience prior to her current position, including her work at Saint Alphonsus Hospital from 1999 to 2006. She also served as Chief of the Infection Control Committee in Pinole, CA, from 1990 to 1998. Additionally, she worked with the AIDS clinics in Martinez and Oakland, CA, from 1985 to 1999, and served as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, from 1985 to 1989. A leader in her field, Dr. Oster is considered an expert in internal medicine and infectious diseases. She owns and practices at Oster Medical Group in Boise, ID, and attributes her success to her talent for connecting with her patients. Dedicated to providing the latest innovations in internal medicine and infectious diseases, Dr. Oster is a member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the American Board of Internal Medicine, and her respective state and county medical associations. Her expertise was recognized with America's Best in Medicine Award by the American Health Council in 2019. In addition to her professional pursuits, Dr. Oster volunteers with the Idaho Historical Society and participates as an accomplished flutist in the Canyon County Flute Orchestra and the Mulligan Capital City Band. She also enjoys reading mysteries. Dr. Oster wishes to honor the loving memory of her dear husband, David; her father, Robert; her mother, Caroline; and her grandmother, Ellen Evans. She would also like to acknowledge her daughter, Stephanie, and thank her for her love and support. In the future, Dr. Oster hopes to retire soon. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE The Inner Circle WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

ATLANTA, Oct. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HIV and AIDS activist Zackie Achmat today received the 2024 James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health. Achmat is honored for his groundbreaking work in increasing access to life-saving therapies for people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa and other low- and middle-income countries. His efforts have led to millions of lives saved and substantial increases in life expectancy. Continue Reading Zackie Achmat, 2024 James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health recipient. The James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health award was presented this afternoon at the American Public Health Association's (APHA) annual meeting, which is taking place in Minneapolis. The award recognizes an outstanding leader who is making major contributions to the improvement of public health. It is intended for those who have done the most to improve health for the greatest number of people. The monetary award for the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health is $100,000. "Zackie's heroic advocacy for South Africans to get fair and equitable access to lifesaving therapies for HIV and AIDS exemplifies the true meaning of the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health—doing the most good for the most people," said Martha Katz, MPA, board chair of the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation. "We are so honored to present Zackie with this year's award." In response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Achmat co-founded the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in 1998. TAC led a robust effort to guarantee that all South Africans in need, regardless of their financial situation, could have anti-retroviral drugs. His leadership has changed South Africa's strategy for treating HIV/AIDS. Remarkably, more South Africans are now receiving treatment than ever before, despite the country once having one of the highest rates of HIV infections worldwide. Sandra Thurman, senior advisor, Bureau of Global Health Security & Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State Director, who nominated Achmat for the Fries award stated, "I witnessed first-hand how the determination of one thoughtful and passionate individual could impact the lives of thousands. In the midst of extreme stigma and discrimination, political apathy and misinformation, Zackie co-founded the Treatment Action Campaign, a grassroots organization that literally altered the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa and beyond. Zackie exemplifies everything about contemporary public health practice: the right to health, the importance of science and principled advocacy." Achmat has spent his life fighting for justice, equality, dignity and freedom, particularly for working-class people and vulnerable minorities in South Africa and throughout the world. In addition to TAC, he co-founded several other influential organizations including Equal Education, the Social Justice Coalition, Ndifuna Ukwazi, Reclaim the City and #UniteBehind. These organizations focused on political education, research, mobilization and litigation. Achmat's contributions to public health and social justice have earned him numerous accolades including the Desmond Tutu Leadership Awards, the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, as well as a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. His work continues to inspire activists and public health professionals worldwide, embodying the principles of health for all and human rights. The James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1991. The mission of the foundation is to identify and honor individuals, organizations or institutions that have made great contributions to the health of the public. The foundation seeks to reward accomplishment rather than promise, practicality rather than theory. The CDC Foundation is honored to partner with the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation, which established and funds the award. The CDC Foundation manages and administers the Fries Foundation's public health award programs, which include the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health and the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award. Nominations for the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health will open on December 2, 2024, please visit the Fries Awards for Health nomination page for more information. About the CDC Foundation The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC's critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has raised over $2.2 billion and launched more than 1,400 programs impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. The CDC Foundation managed hundreds of programs in the United States and in nearly 80 countries last year. Learn more at . Follow the CDC Foundation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter and TikTok. SOURCE CDC Foundation WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

BERKELEY, Calif., Oct. 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HOPO Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a contract valued at up to $226 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funds will be used to advance development of the drug candidate HOPO-101 through registrational studies as a medical countermeasure against radiological threats, including planned submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The initial award of approximately $9.4 million will fund toxicology and pharmacology studies, manufacturing activities, and nonclinical research in other types of heavy metal poisoning, with approximately $216 million in additional funding available for later-stage development upon agreement between BARDA and HOPO. The ongoing Phase 1 clinical study of HOPO-101 (NCT05628961), as well as earlier nonclinical work, has been funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. There are no approved oral therapies to treat individuals exposed to radioactive heavy metals like plutonium, americium, and curium. In the event of a radiological or nuclear disaster, treatment with a decorporation agent – a drug designed to bind and accelerate the clearance of heavy metals from the body – is the only practical means to mitigate the risk of radiation poisoning. HOPO Therapeutics is developing decorporation agents that can be taken orally, with the aim of providing rapid access to treatment for an exposed population. This BARDA funding will also be used to study HOPO-101 as a possible treatment for lead poisoning. As recently highlighted by several leading global health organizations including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), lead poisoning kills an estimated 1.5 million people each year, more than malaria and HIV combined. Most of these deaths, and the over 800 million children currently suffering from lead poisoning, are in low- and middle-income communities. “We are thrilled to partner with BARDA on the development of a new oral decorporation agent for radiological threat preparedness,” said Dr. Julian Rees, HOPO’s Chief Executive Officer and co-founder. “We believe that HOPO-101 can fill an important gap in the world’s ability to respond to a nuclear or radiological disaster, a scenario made ever more likely by ongoing conflicts around the world, and that it could also help to address one of the most significant unmet needs in global health. Nonclinical studies indicate that HOPO-101 would be a substantial improvement over the existing standard of care, and we are delighted to have BARDA’s support in exploring its dual-use capability as both a medical countermeasure and a potential treatment for lead poisoning in adults and children.” Funding for this award was received under contract through BARDA’s Broad Agency Announcement. This project has been supported in whole or in part with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under contract number 75A50124C00062. About HOPO Therapeutics HOPO Therapeutics is a privately-held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing treatments for heavy metal poisoning and pioneering novel methods for directed radioisotope delivery. Leveraging world-class expertise in the chemistry and biochemistry of heavy metals and technology licensed from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, HOPO’s mission is to safeguard all people throughout the world from the harmful effects of heavy metal contamination while utilizing the power of metals in medicine to cure disease and improve lives. For more information, please visit www.hopotx.com.