Coburn/Burr Bill ''Restores Heart of PEPFAR AIDS Program,'' Says AHF

Proposed Legislation Reinstates Treatment Funding Requirement, Key
to PEPFAR's Success
WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which provides AIDS care and
treatment services to more than 65,000 individuals in 20 countries
worldwide, is welcoming the introduction of a Senate Bill that seeks
to reinstate a treatment funding requirement that is key to the
success of PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief),
the US global AIDS program. The Senate Bill, introduced earlier today
by Senator Thomas Coburn, M.D., (R, OK) and Senator Richard Burr (R,
NC) would improve treatment and testing for HIV/AIDS by focusing on
elements of the original bill that have been eliminated in the House
Version of the bill which is set to be marked up by the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Thursday. The pending House version eliminates the
requirement that 55% of PEPFAR funds be spent on treatment, a
provision that AHF believes has been key to the success of President
Bush's landmark legislation over the past five years.

"The American AIDS relief effort is a true humanitarian effort
that receives widespread bipartisan support," said Michael Weinstein,
President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "We need to pause and
remember why we started PEPFAR to begin with; to bring lifesaving
treatment to those in need, to prevent others from becoming infected,
and to rid the world of the scourge of AIDS. We thank Senators Coburn
and Burr for introducing this legislation that restores the heart of
the PEPFAR global AIDS program."

According to a press release distributed by Senator Coburn's
office today:

"U.S. Senators Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), a practicing physician and
Richard Burr (R-NC) today introduced legislation that would ensure the
highest priority for U.S. global HIV/AIDS funding would be saving
lives by providing treatment to those infected and eliminating baby
AIDS by preventing the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

"As the Senate begins the reauthorization of the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), it seems that some have
forgotten that HIV/AIDS is a disease that we can diagnose, treat and
prevent. Both the House and the Senate bills prioritize everything but
diagnosis and treatment. AIDS 'experts' and Washington, DC consultants
who have built an industry around the billions we spend on AIDS think
they know how to spend the money better, but most Americans and most
people affected by HIV/AIDS would agree that ending baby AIDS and
providing treatment to those already infected should take precedence
over spending for other initiatives that do not have the same
lifesaving impact," said Dr. Coburn, who has personally delivered
children with HIV and cared for HIV/AIDS patients'.

AHF has been critical of elements of the House bill, House
Resolution 5501 (the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global
Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization
Act). AHF officials earlier lauded the tripling of PEPFAR funding to
$50 billion; however, AHF expressed grave concern that the bill only
increases the target number of patients on treatment by one million
(from 2 million to 3 million) over the next five years. The House bill
also has no requirement that any PEPFAR funds be spent on treatment.

PEPFAR was the result of President Bush's groundbreaking 2003
State of the Union pledge to bring two million HIV positive Africans
and others into treatment and prevent seven million new HIV infections
via a five-year, $15 billion US-funded program. It currently operates
in 15 focus countries and claims to support antiretroviral treatment
for 1.4 million people worldwide. PEPFAR has been one of the most
successful global humanitarian programs in recent memory, providing
medical care to millions of people with HIV/AIDS, it has given hope to
the 33 million people with HIV/AIDS in the world.

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the US' largest non-profit
HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention and education provider. AHF
currently provides treatment, care and support services to more than
65,000 individuals in 20 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean and Asia. Additional information is available at
www.aidshealth.org.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Ged Kenslea, Communications Director
Work: 323-860-5225
Mobile: 323-791-5526
gedk@aidshealth.org
or
Lori Yeghiayan, Associate Director of Communications
Work: 323-860-5227
Mobile: 323-377-4312
lori.yeghiayan@aidshealth.org

Copyright Business Wire 2008