On June 11 and 12, 2026 some members of the PAN staff team had the opportunity to attend the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE’s) TasP Summit and Spring Update event in Vancouver. You can view all presentations from the June 2026 BC-CfE Update here.
Some Background on TasP:
“One World, One Hope” by Joe Average.
TasP ® stands for Treatment as Prevention. The adoption of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) following its debut at the 1996 Vancouver International AIDS Conference “One World, One Hope”, was a life-changing moment in the HIV response and movement.
Prior to HAART, the life expectancy of a 20-year-old person diagnosed with HIV was under 10 years. Following the implementation of HAART, life expectancy increased to more than 50 years. When taken consistently, HAART stops viral replication and drops the amount of virus in the body (viral load) to undetectable levels. This prevents the immune system from being damaged, and as a result, prevents disease progression to AIDS and premature mortality among people living with HIV.
Having an undetectable viral load means the virus cannot be sexually transmitted to others. This impactful public health movement is known as U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable). 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the U=U campaign, an important milestone in the global HIV response. Over the past decade, this evidence-based message has helped reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination, empowered people living with HIV, and reinforced the vital importance of access to testing, treatment, and ongoing care. Its impact has truly transformed what it means to live and love with HIV on a global scale.
During the opening and welcome of the TasP Summit, a video message from Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Joss Reimer was shared reflecting on the impact of U=U and Canada’s longstanding leadership in advancing this work.
Many discussions throughout the TasP Summit and Update event related to the Canadian HIV Public Health Landscape, and highlighted that earlier this year, Manitoba declared HIV/AIDS as a Provincial Public Health Emergency. The risk factors for acquiring HIV in Manitoba are different from national trends with more than 50% of cases are female, compared to a Canadian average of 32%. In comparison to other jurisdictions in Canada, BC’s rates are lower, but in Dr. Julio Montaner’s opening presentation, he noted increasing population movement was one reason BC was beginning to see increasing rates and that we must continue to work hard and collectively to take care of one another despite a tumultuous economic and political global landscape.
Some Highlights from the Summit and Update Events – Community and Cure
1. The Strength of Community
The BC-CfE Spring Update featured a community panel with PAN’s Executive Direction Evin Jones, Dylan Wall of Health Initiative for Men (HIM) and Anoop Gill from Qmunity to present on the strength of community (viewable here (24 mins)).
Community and connection was, and continues to be, at the heart of the HIV movement. People living with HIV and those in relation to them have always cared for one another and continue to reimagine their futures through social movements and collectives. When we feel connected to others, we know that we belong, that our experiences matter, and that we do not have to navigate challenges alone. When we show up for one another, we strengthen not only ourselves, but the communities we are part of.
2. HIV Cure Update
Another inspiring topic included a presentation from Dr. Zabrina Brumme on an HIV Cure update (viewable here (24 mins)). This session covered HIV reservoirs; HIV cures achieved so far (and examples of elite controllers); strategies for HIV cure; and recent advances from HIV cure clinical trials. Dr. Brumme acknowledged that although we do not currently have a safe and scalable HIV cure yet, we have proof that it is possible.
An expanded reference to HIV Cures that have happened (timeline presented and starts at ~ minute 7:00 in recording) are as follows:
- In 2009 – Timothy Ray Brown “The Berlin Patient” (read: I am the Berlin Patient: A Personal Reflection)
- In 2019 – Adam Castillejo “The London Patient” (watch: In Conversation with Adam Castillejo)
- In 2022 – Paul Edmonds “The City of Hope Patient” (read: Patient who achieved HIV remission shares his story) and the first woman to be cure “The New York Patient” (read: First case of HIV cure in a woman after stem cell transplantation reported at CROI-2022)
- In 2023 – Marc Franke “The Dusseldorf Patient” (read: One of the 7 people cured of HIV tells his story. Can his cure work for others?) and Romuald “The Geneva Patient” (read: First sustained remission of HIV infection following a bone marrow transplant in absence of protective mutation)
- In 2024 – “The Second Berlin Patient” (read: Second Berlin patient has unusual immune response that seems to have removed his HIV) and “The French Patient” (read: Second woman possibly cured of HIV)
- In 2025 – “The Chicago Patient” (read: AIDS Foundation Chicago Hails Chicago Man Possibly Cured of HIV and His Care Team) and “The Oslo Patient” (read: Medical Xpress: Norway’s ‘Oslo patient’ reaches HIV remission after rare stem cell transplant donated by brother)
- And in this year, 2026 – “The Toronto Patient” (read: Canadian First: Man Living with HIV in ‘Sustained Remission’ After Bone Marrow Transplant, The Toronto Patient: New HIV prolonged remission and possible cure case reported, and Toronto team leads first-in-Canada case of sustained HIV remission)
Access to Long-Acting PrEP – Community Concerns
A presentation from Kevin Fung, senior health economist with the BC-CfE on LA-PrEP: Economic Considerations (viewable here (20 mins)) sparked an impassioned question period. The presented economic modelling did not support universal funding of long-action (LA) injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, attendees in the Q&A period (not recorded) questioned what variables were included in the modelling/calculations, and the limited target population used in the model, and advocated for targeted LA PrEP for people who experience greater inequities and barriers to treatment and care.
Some background on LA PrEP:
LA PrEP (CAB and LEN) is key for HIV prevention in populations that oral, daily PrEP (such as Truvada or Descovy) are not. Lenacapavir (LEN) has proven highly effective as PrEP against HIV infections in cis-gender women. This was found during the PURPOSE 1 Study where ZERO new HIV transmissions were acquired by participants receiving LEN versus 39 infections among those receiving Truvada, and 16 among Descovy recipients (find journal article here *please note, not open access to full text).
The Purpose II Study focused on additional populations: cisgender men, transgender women, transgender men, and gender nonbinary people who have sex with male partners. Lenacapavir again proved to be a good option for preventing HIV infection, with a 96% reduction in the risk of acquiring HIV among study participants, with 99.9% of individuals using LEN not acquiring HIV. Read the CATIE summary on study information here.
The PURPOSE clinical trials are working to ensure that those who may benefit most from HIV prevention are represented. Beyond PURPOSE 1 and 2, they are now currently conducting:
- PURPOSE 3 (a phase 2 study of lenacapavir for PrEP in Cisgender Adult Women being conducted in the United States) and
- PURPOSE 4 (a phase 2 study of lenacapavir for PrEP among people who inject drugs being conducted in the United States).
And in the future:
- PURPOSE 5 (a phase 2 study of lenacapavir for PrEP in people who would benefit from PrEP but are not currently taking PrEP. This study will be conducted in the United Kingdom and France) and
- PURPOSE 365 (a phase 3 study of once-yearly lenacapavir, for PrEP in people who are recommended to take PrEP, including cisgender men, transgender women, transgender men, cisgender women, and nonbinary individuals who have sex with partners assigned male at birth. This study will be conducted in the United States).
Learn more about all of the PURPOSE studies here.
PAN looks forward to the BC-CfE’s fall update, expected later this year.