Celebrating 21 years of HIV treatment advocacy
Advocacy
The UK-CAB is a network for community HIV treatment advocates across the UK
Training
We provide peer-led training on HIV treatment
Representation
We ensure people living with HIV are represented at all levels of our care
Join the UK-CAB
The UK Community Advisory Board (UK-CAB) is a peer-led network which aims to empower people living with HIV and those supporting them with the knowledge, information and skills to become effective HIV treatment advocates for their own health and that of their peers living with HIV.
It is important that people living with HIV understand the treatment options available to them, and are able to make informed and effective choices in partnership with their HIV clinician. We advocate for the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV in all aspects of our care, and work closely with partners across the HIV sector, especially the British HIV Association, to make sure this happens.
It is easy to join the UK-CAB. Membership is free and open to anyone living with HIV and community advocates interested in our work who are not directly connected to pharmaceutical companies.
Our story
On 31 May 2002, 25 advocates from across the UK met in London for the first meeting of the UK-CAB.
A dedicated group of treatment activists had been looking at the European Community Advisory Board (ECAB) and its work on improving access to new drugs (normally six months behind the USA) and decided the UK would benefit from a forum where patient and community groups could meet formally with researchers or pharma companies.
The meeting introduced the concept of Community Advisory Boards to its inaugural members and outlined the intention and purpose of the network. The first guest speakers were Tim Peto and Douglas Newberry from the Medical Research Council, who explained how clinical trials work.
In the afternoon the first company meeting was held with Gilead Sciences, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate was one of the drugs discussed with the CAB – a drug that continue to be discussed amongst members to this day.
Many things have changed since 2002. The CAB was there to witness and scrutinise many of the treatment interventions which have changed HIV over the past 18 years. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) was first formally added to a meeting agenda in 2008 – but we had to wait until 2020 for routine commissioning to be given the green light in England.
People living with HIV in the UK owe a huge thanks to all the dedicated people who founded the CAB, and the members who are the voice of the community in our meetings, and those who act as community representatives in research, writing guidelines and various clinical working groups.
Thank you to all our members who have played a part in ensuring our voice is heard in our treatment and care.