The Joint Clinical Research Center (JCRC) work with PEPFAR/USAID is as old as PEPFAR itself so they also celebrate 20 years of collaboration. JCRC received the first PEPFAR grant in the world in 2003 through USAID.
To address the dire HIV situation in Uganda, JCRC started to provide antiretroviral drugs in 1991. At its inception, the Centre was charged with providing a scientific approach to the AIDS crisis including provision of advanced HIV care. The Centre has been part of landmark trials that have informed policies and practice in the treatment of HIV at the national and international levels.
By 2002, HIV was like a death sentence in many low-income countries like Uganda. Lifesaving antiretroviral medication cost more than US $10,000 a year, available to the rich, but far out of reach for the millions with HIV in poor countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV and AIDS killed a generation of mothers and fathers, leaving millions of orphans and their elderly grandparents to care for them. Children born to HIV-positive mothers died within a few years, with no treatment to save them.
HIV/AIDS struck people in the most productive age groups and at the time was essentially 100 percent fatal. Households lost much of their savings in order to pay health care for the long illness. and funeral expenditures. In the midst of this devastation, the main interventions at the time were mainly geared towards HIV prevention. Treatment of the already thousands of people infected and progressing to AIDS was limited to management of opportunistic infections and counseling for positive living. A total of approximately 8,000 individuals were on ART in Uganda and 6,000 were at JCRC by the time JCRC received the first PEPFAR grant to expand access to ART.
January 28, 2003, Laura Bush and Prof. Peter Mugyenyi (former JCRC Executive Director) at the State of the Union Address, US Capitol. In his speech, President Bush asked Congress to commit $15 billion for the fight against HIV/AIDS.
ART has revolutionized the management of HIV and transformed it from a death sentence to a manageable chronic disease enabling infected individuals to remain economically productive, prolonging their life span and being there to look after their children. ART made such a drastic change in [people’s] lives in a short time, it was like a “miracle drug.” Patients could not believe the transformation and they also thought we were wonder doctors!
Initially, JCRC work was to address an emergency as it rolled out ART across the country and provided technical support to build capacity nationally and in the region to equitably provide ART scale up. As many other organizations were trained and joined the HIV response, JCRC transitioned basic services to the public sector and other implementing partners and mainly provided advanced HIV services.
The objectives for which JCRC was established – to provide a scientific intervention in the HIV/AIDS epidemic and provide advanced HIV care – have been implemented excellently and still remain very relevant even today in the HIV epidemic response and control. From inception, JCRC has continued to contribute to HIV prevention, care, and treatment, social support and protection, and health systems strengthening. A lot of this work has been guided by adopting best practices and scientific evidence generated by JCRC and others.
In July 2011, JCRC received a special award from the Uganda Ministry of Health for outstanding performance in the HIV/AIDS response.
JCRC continues to engage in scientific research to inform policy and practice. The Center is now coordinating the first Long-Acting ART trial in Africa using a regimen of Cabotegravir and Rilpivirine given as injections every 2 months instead of taking a pill everyday. This strategy is expected to address the issue of maintaining long term adherence. Longer acting regimens given every six months are also in the pipeline. JCRC also plans to conduct the pioneer HIV gene therapy trial for CURE by 2024.
JCRC and Dr. Cissy Kityo Mutuluuza were awarded the Golden Jubilee Award Medal by the President of the Republic of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during the International Labor Day celebrations on May 1, 2022 for outstanding service and loyalty to the country. Uganda’s Golden Jubilee Medal was launched in 2012 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence from the United Kingdom. This is the highest civilian honor of Uganda. This picture depicts the medalists with the President of Uganda 6th from the left. Dr. Cissy Kityo is 4th from the left.
Joint Clinical Research Centre, Uganda
Years as a USAID/PEPFAR Partner: 20! (16 as a prime, 4 as a sub)