AbbVie campaign focuses on women with HIV

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. – Drug maker AbbVie is launching an international awareness campaign focused on women living with HIV, the drug maker said Tuesday.

World AIDS Day is on Dec. 1, and in advance of the event, the company announced the launch of the campaign, dubbed See Us: Women Take a Stand on HIV. The campaign is being launched in collaboration with an expert steering committee that includes representation from women living with and affected by HIV, the medical community, the International Association of Providers in AIDS Care and the HIV information group NAM/aidsmap.

According to UNAIDS, women are the fastest-growing group within the population of living with HIV around the world and face many challenges that compound the effects of the infection itself, its associated stigmas and the status of women. Problems include lack of access to care, discrimination and violence, as well as unique maternal and emotional health issues, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.