May 26: Scientists prove that the HIV-1 virus originated from southern Cameroon chimps in a study published in the journal Science.

June 12: Atripla, the first ever once daily HIV-combo-in-a-pill, is approved by the FDA.

June 23: Prezista, Tibotec’s protease inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of HIV positive people who are resistant to older PIs.  

August 10: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donates $500 million to the Global Fund, the largest nongovernmental donation yet.

August 13-18: 24,000 people from 132 countries attend the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto. The theme: Time to Deliver.

September 21: The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends “routine” HIV testing for all Americans aged 13 to 64.

September 30: Ads proclaiming “HIV is a Gay Disease” in local Los Angeles gay papers feed a national debate over prevention campaigns that aim to shock.

October 10: The feds deem Norvir (ritonavir)-boosted Reyataz (atazanavir) and Lexiva (fosamprenavir) comparable to Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) for those starting HIV therapy for the first time.

December 13: Heterosexual men circumcised as part of two studies in Uganda and Kenya are found 50% less likely to be infected with HIV than uncircumcised participants.

December 19: President Bush signs the Ryan White CARE Act, following a congressional compromise reauthorizing $2.1 billion in yearly AIDS funding until September 30, 2009.