HIV prevention is one of the life-saving programs which has been most affected by the pause in funding from the United States Government. Dozens of countries are reporting disruptions of services such as PrEP delivery and community outreach, which is essential for HIV prevention because a large proportion of people at risk for HIV infection cannot be reached through government clinics.
Just at a moment when new American-developed scientific innovations for long-acting prevention could speed up the decline in new HIV infections, the U.S. suspension of HIV prevention is a huge setback to the global HIV response which could derail international efforts to end AIDS by 2030.
A new, injectable medicine, lenacapavir, developed by Gilead, a U.S. pharmaceutical company, has proven to be more than 95% effective in preventing HIV when administered twice a year. If lenacapavir is made available, affordable and accessible to people most at risk for HIV, it would be a game-changing intervention and prevent a substantial number of new HIV infections in the U.S. and globally.
The Global HIV Prevention Coalition urges the United States Government to seize this pivotal moment and help make this groundbreaking medicine available and accessible to everyone in need of HIV prevention.
Access to long-acting prevention options will require a rapid and bold collaboration between the US Government, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, pharmaceutical industry, UN agencies, countries, partners, and communities around the world to ensure these options are accessible and affordable with speed and scale for people in greatest need.
2025 will decide if these new, highly effective HIV technologies will remain small-scale science undertakings with limited impact, or whether the field will realize a global vision and market with ambitious targets for these products, so that they become real choices for people and accelerate the reduction of new HIV infections.
There has already been a concerning 30% reduction in donor supported condom procurement over the past decade, contributing to a rise in other sexually transmitted infections. This is a strong reminder that progress in the global HIV response cannot be taken for granted, even for a low-cost product like condoms.
With 1.3 million new HIV infections in 2023 - three times more than the global 2025 target of fewer than 370 000 - this is not the moment to reduce funding for HIV prevention. It is a choice between using new opportunities to progress towards ending AIDS as a threat to public health by 2030 or open the floodgates for a rising HIV epidemic to the next generation.
The Global HIV Prevention Coalition urges the United States Government to continue its exceptional leadership in HIV prevention and seize new technological opportunities to end AIDS by 2030. The Coalition also calls on other donors and private sector partners to step up their efforts in supporting HIV prevention for young people, women, men, key populations and other communities most affected by HIV.
