SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
hiv/aids
UN Warns Millions Could Die in Next 4 Years Due to Trump Cuts to HIV Funding
"It's a ticking time bomb," said the executive director of UNAIDS.
Jul 10, 2025
UNAIDS, the United Nations agency dedicated to combating the spread of HIV around the globe, has issued a dire warning about the impact of the United States slashing its funding for foreign aid.
In a newly released report, the agency contends that the Trump administration's drastic reduction of foreign aid funding to the United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been a "systemic shock" to organizations trying to stop the spread of HIV.
"HIV programs across the world are struggling from the sudden, drastic reductions in funding for the global HIV response announced by the United States Government in early 2025," the report states. "PEPFAR had committed USD 4.3 billion in bilateral support in 2025. Those services were stopped overnight when the United States Government shifted its foreign assistance strategies. Disruptions are being felt across the HIV response and pose a huge risk of increased mortality, a surge of new HIV infections, and the development of resistance to the most commonly used treatment regimens. Urgent action and revived solidarity are needed to sustain the progress made and prevent a resurgence of HIV."
The report estimates that if American funding for HIV prevention collapses entirely, it would result in 6 million additional infections and 4 million additional deaths over the next four years alone.
"This is not just a funding gap—it's a ticking time bomb," said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS. "We have seen services vanish overnight. Health workers have been sent home. And people—especially children and key populations—are being pushed out of care."
The report notes that countries that have traditionally benefited from American PEPFAR funding cannot possibly hope to make up the difference with domestic revenue and it calls on other nations to step up where the U.S. has stepped away.
"Low- and lower-middle-income countries... remain highly vulnerable," the report warns. "HIV programs in many of them are highly dependent on external financing and they are unlikely to withstand unplanned or rapid reductions in donor funding. This could lead to disruptions in essential services and weaken the overall HIV response."
Five countries in particular—Haiti, Mozambique, Nigeria, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia—are highlighted as particularly vulnerable given that they received more than 60% of their funding for HIV-related programs through PEPFAR.
Regardless, the report said that the world is still closer than it ever has been to ending the threat of AIDS. But it stressed that low- and middle-income countries would nonetheless need annual funding of $21.9 billion USD to make that goal a reality by 2030.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Will Big Pharma Greed Consume Promise of 'HIV-Ending' Shot?
"This moment calls for bold public funding, strong private sector leadership, and a shared commitment to making HIV prevention accessible, affordable, and a cornerstone of our national response," said one campaigner.
Jun 18, 2025
While joining Gilead Sciences in welcoming the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Wednesday approval of a six-month shot that CEO Daniel O'Day said "offers a very real opportunity to help end the HIV epidemic," public health advocates this week have expressed concern that Big Pharma greed could impede access to lenacapavir.
Gilead announced that the FDA has approved lenacapavir—which will be sold under the brand name Yeztugo—as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV in adults and adolescents weighing at least 77 lbs., "making it the first and only twice-yearly option available in the United States for people who need or want PrEP."
Responding in a statement, Save HIV Funding campaign manager Maxx Boykin said that "the FDA's approval of lenacapavir for HIV prevention has the potential to be a pivotal moment for the broader fight to end HIV. It's a reminder that prevention must be a national priority, backed by serious investment and political will."
"Ending the epidemic requires equal focus on prevention and treatment, delivered through equitable, community-driven systems," Boykin continued. "This moment calls for bold public funding, strong private sector leadership, and a shared commitment to making HIV prevention accessible, affordable, and a cornerstone of our national response."
"If lenacapavir has any chance of becoming a viable choice for people who could benefit from PrEP, the price will have to be low enough that safety net providers can afford to procure it."
The Save HIV Funding campaign was launched in 2023 by multiple groups, including PrEP4All, to fight proposed cuts to federal funds. PrEP4All senior policy consultant Amy Killelea and executive director Jeremiah Johnson wrote Tuesday at Health Affairs that "lenacapavir's PrEP approval comes four years after the first long-acting injectable product for PrEP—a once-every-two-month injection made by ViiV and sold under the brand name Apretude—hit the market. Despite a lot of fanfare about its ability to change the HIV prevention landscape, Apretude sales have been fairly anemic since its launch."
"This likely reflects the many barriers to PrEP access, including provider willingness to prescribe PrEP, individual awareness about HIV risk, and complicated procurement and financing considerations for provider-administered products," they explained. "Whether the fact that lenacapavir requires far fewer provider visits than Apretude will make it a better option for people remains to be seen. But regardless of whether lenacapavir truly disrupts the PrEP landscape, it provides another important tool in the HIV prevention toolbox and an option that could help anyone who might struggle with adherence to a daily pill regimen."
The FDA approval comes as congressional Republicans push a budget reconciliation package that would deprive millions of Americans of health insurance, and "given the anticipated high price tag of lenacapavir, any coverage losses could impede access," Killelea and Johnson warned. "The launch of lenacapavir also comes amidst an intentional hollowing out of governmental public health programs by the Trump administration."
"Gilead's charitable assistance programs cannot alone ensure that PrEP is available and accessible to the people who need it most," they stressed. "If lenacapavir has any chance of becoming a viable choice for people who could benefit from PrEP, the price will have to be low enough that safety net providers can afford to procure it. This is particularly true for provider-administered products, which are often covered as a medical benefit."
Given the challenging last few months, this is a bright spot - the approval of lenacapavir twice yearly to prevent HIV. Unlike past PrEP meds, it was found t be 100% protective in cisgender women.But it will only work if gets to people, especially those communities that need it most.
[image or embed]
— Oni Blackstock, MD MHS (@oniblackstock.bsky.social) June 18, 2025 at 3:54 PM
The Guardian reported Tuesday that Gilead "has not yet made the price of the drug public, but it has been estimated... that it is likely to be on par with current preventive medications at about $25,000... a year. As a treatment for people already living with HIV, it costs about $39,000 annually."
However, the "HIV-ending" injection could "be made for only $25... a year—including a 30% profit margin," the newspaper noted, citing an analysis from the University of Liverpool and others. The researchers found that "lenacapavir could be mass produced for $35 to $46 a year, if there was annual demand for 2 million doses, falling to $25 at scaled-up production of 5 million to 10 million doses each year."
The watchdog Public Citizen also highlighted that study in a Wednesday statement:
The closest drug to an HIV vaccine, lenacapavir has shown 99% efficacy in preventing HIV infection, but its manufacturer, Gilead, is overcharging for the drug and gripping tightly to its patents in certain countries.
Patented in many Latin American countries, lenacapavir as an HIV treatment is priced at more than $40,000 (U.S. dollars) per year, but experts estimate lenacapavir's production (plus a margin for profit) could price the drug as low as $25 with process improvements and an increase in demand...
Public Citizen has been working with 100 health groups across Latin America to overcome the patent barrier, issuing multiple compulsory license requests and calling on governments to take action to make long-acting PrEP more accessible.
Public Citizen Access to Medicines Director Peter Maybarduk said that "the world has an historic opportunity to end AIDS," a condition caused by HIV, but "that requires confronting the triple threat of funding cuts, stigma, and pharma power."
Reporting on the FDA approval Wednesday, The Associated Press pointed out that "global efforts at ending the HIV pandemic by 2030 have stalled. There still are more than 30,000 new infections in the U.S. each year and about 1.3 million worldwide."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'This Is a Winnable Fight': Leaders Across Africa Pledge to End AIDS in Children by 2030
"We have the tools, the guidance, the policies, and the knowledge we need. Now we must make good on this commitment and move to action," reads the Dar es Salaam Declaration. "Together we will not fail."
Feb 01, 2023
Declaring the fight against HIV and AIDS infections in children "winnable," public health officials from across Africa on Wednesday convened in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania to discuss the steps needed from policymakers and the healthcare sector to eradicate pediatric cases by 2030.
Representatives from 12 countries including Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Cote D'Ivoire, and Cameroon were joined by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), UNICEF, and other global organizations at the first ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children.
The alliance was formed last summer, as the United Nations noted that just 52% of children living with AIDS are on lifesaving treatment and warned progress for preventing pediatric cases is stalling. Among adults patients, 76% are receiving antiretroviral treatments.
The delegates unanimously agreed on Wednesday to the Dar es Salaam Declaration for Action. The declaration's commitments include:
- Providing access to universal testing and treatment for all children and adolescents living with HIV and support them to remain virally suppressed;
- Ensuring access to treatment and care for all pregnant and breastfeeding women and support them to stay in care;
- Harnessing digital technologies to reach adolescents and young people;
- Implementing comprehensive, integrated HIV services;
- Working with and for men, women, and adolescent girls to ensure that mothers are protected from acquiring HIV during pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- Ending the stigma, discrimination, and gender inequities experienced by women, children, and adolescents affected by HIV; and
- Working with communities including men to prevent gender-based violence and counter harmful gender norms.
"We have the tools, the guidance, the policies, and the knowledge we need. Now we must make good on this commitment and move to action," reads the declaration. "Together we will not fail."
"Closing the gap for children will require laser focus and a steadfast commitment to hold ourselves, governments, and all partners accountable for results."
The global alliance has stressed since its formation last year that ending pediatric AIDS and HIV infections is an achievable goal, noting the progress that has been made in several African countries with high HIV burdens.
"By the end of 2021, 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa reached the target of 95% ART [antiretroviral therapy] coverage in pregnant women and Botswana was the first high prevalence African country to be validated as being on the path to eliminating vertical transmission of HIV," reads a document released when the initiative was launched.
Sixteen countries worldwide have also been "certified for validation of eliminating vertical transmission of HIV," according to UNAIDS.
\u201cI believe this is a winnable fight\u2014one we can win for all children in Africa. We can win it for their mothers; we can win it for their families; we can win it for our countries. Honourable Ministers make it your priority and you will see results during your tenure!\n#ForEveryChild\u201d— Winnie Byanyima (@Winnie Byanyima) 1675241033
But still, 160,000 children acquired HIV in 2021 and children accounted for 15% of all AIDS-related deaths that year, despite the fact that they only make up 4% of the total number of people living with HIV. Across the globe, a child dies of AIDS-related causes every five minutes.
"Year on year, the same poor progress has been reported towards global and national targets for children and adolescents," said the alliance last year. "Despite available, affordable, and highly effective tools and programming strategies to diagnose and treat HIV among children, adolescents, and pregnant and breastfeeding women, large service gaps for these populations remain."
By meeting the commitments laid out in the Dar es Salaam Declaration, officials said, they will promote active participation of national programs and affected communities, boost existing programs to end AIDS in children, and mobilize resources through "donor coordination and innovative financing."
"Closing the gap for children will require laser focus and a steadfast commitment to hold ourselves, governments, and all partners accountable for results," said John Nkengasong, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator and leader of PEPFAR. "In partnership with the global alliance, PEPFAR commits to elevate the HIV/AIDS children's agenda to the highest political level within and across countries to mobilize the necessary support needed to address rights, gender equality, and the social and structural barriers that hinder access to prevention and treatment services for children and their families."
Philip Mpango, vice president of the United Republic of Tanzania, said the host country "has showed its political engagement" regarding the issue.
"Now we need to commit moving forward as a collective whole," said Mpango. "All of us in our capacities must have a role to play to end AIDS in children. The global alliance is the right direction, and we must not remain complacent. 2030 is at our doorstep."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular