A groundbreaking injectable that would curb the spread of HIV is at risk due to Donald Trump’s funding cuts on foreign aid.
A groundbreaking injectable designed to curb the global spread of HIV is now at risk of being delayed due to President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders.
With over one million people contracting HIV each year, a partnership between The Global Fund and PEPFAR, the U.S. government’s global HIV/AIDS program, had pledged to acquire 2 million doses of Lenacapavir over three years. These doses were intended for countries with the highest HIV rates, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze all foreign aid funding has thrown this plan into disarray.
“There’s despondency and a sense of tragedy. Because just as we’ve had the breakthrough, we also see the taps turning off of resources,” Bekker said.
“We had a laid-out map where the product would be supplied via PEPFAR and The Global Fund while we wait for generics [cheaper off-label versions of lenacapavir] to come online, which will take 18 months to two years. And at this moment, that plan is falling through in front of our eyes.”
Many studies and research expected to be funded by U.S. resources are on hold, Bekker explains.
“It’s not just PEPFAR; we’re also worried about restrictions being placed on other sorts of research funding, such as the National Institutes of Health,” she says. “It’s just going to get harder to innovate and move progress forward.”
There is still hope that alternative donors could step up to support The Global Fund in securing Lenacapavir. Bekker is actively exploring new funding avenues for HIV prevention and research through European agencies and potential donor contributions from Scandinavia, Japan, and Australia. However, she fears that without the same level of support from the U.S., the unique opportunity Lenacapavir presents could be at risk of slipping away.
“It’s incredible that this has happened just as we’ve had the breakthrough,” Bekker said.
“I think this is going to set us back many years and ultimately cost a lot more in public health spending. Because ultimately, if we can bring this epidemic under control more quickly, it’s going to save the planet more money in the long run and save lives, too.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
