This New Drug Could Help End the HIV Epidemic—but US Funding Cuts Are Killing Its Rollout
https://www.wired.com/story/lenacapavir-usaid-hiv-aids-funding-cuts/
This New Drug Could Help End the HIV Epidemic—but US Funding Cuts Are Killing Its Rollout
https://www.wired.com/story/lenacapavir-usaid-hiv-aids-funding-cuts/
9 Comments
A collaborative effort between the medicines-financing initiative The Global Fund and PEPFAR, the US government’s global HIV/AIDS program, had pledged to procure 2 million of those doses over the course of three years, which would be directed toward countries with the highest incidence of HIV, most notably in sub-Saharan Africa. But with President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze all foreign aid funding, this plan has been left in tatters.
“There’s despondency and a sense of tragedy,” says Linda-Gail Bekker, one of the founders of the drug. “Because just as we’ve had the breakthrough, we also see the taps turning off of resources. 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.”
While a temporary 90-day waiver has been issued for PEPFAR funding, this has only reinstated funding for life-saving antiretroviral treatments for HIV-positive individuals. Existing forms of PrEP are covered, but only for pregnant or breastfeeding women. There have been no indications that the planned purchase of lenacapavir will be fulfilled.
Read more: [https://www.wired.com/story/lenacapavir-usaid-hiv-aids-funding-cuts/](https://www.wired.com/story/lenacapavir-usaid-hiv-aids-funding-cuts/)
Trump is one of the most evil human beings in history.
Sounds like it’s time to reintroduce a grim classic “If I die, toss my body on the stairs of the CDC”
I can’t help but wonder how often this sort of thing happens
maybe try to win an election instead of dying on 20% popularity causes
Let pharmaceutical companies pay for their own research. No more tax payer funded research with drug companies keeping all the profit.
I mean conservatives are probably cheering because they think HIV is God’s punishment for homosexuality and promiscuity
Dont worry (insert big pharama name) will make sure it will get to marker for 5000% profit.
Imagine if there were these people, who had billions upon billions of dollars, that could easily spare like, what, three percent or less of their net worth (?) to help every last human being living with HIV. This isn’t greed, it’s an illness.