Global funding for HIV/AIDs hits lowest rate as major donors reduce support

The priorities to funding innovation in global healthcare has hit an all-time low in the annual investment for HIV prevention, research and development as major donors such as United States and the Bill Gates Foundation reduce support.

A recent report released by the Resource Tracking for HIV Prevention R&D Working Group (RTWG) has alerted.

The report which was made available to Nigerian Tribune during the week revealed a consistent decline in global funding for HIV science innovation since 2012.

According to the report, funding for HIV prevention R&D fell by three per cent (US$35 million) in 2016 from the previous year, falling to US$1.17 billion. It had maintained a steady downward trend between 2012 and 2016, falling from US$1.31 billion to US$1.17 billion with an annual funding loss of US$40.5 million, US$10.3 million, US$10.4 million and US$2.8 million for the four years.

The report which had tracked global funding for HIV science since 2000 also revealed that the United States’ public sector and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donate about 88 cents of every dollar spent on HIV prevention R&D in 2016, making the shrink in funding for HIV/AIDS a function of major funders’ reduction of their support.

Also, the European public sector funding fell by US$10 million from 2015 and at US$59 million, accounted for just six per cent of all public sector investment, according to the 2016 research document.

The number of philanthropic donors fell sharply from a total of 27 in 2015 to just 12 in 2016.

Meanwhile, investments in HIV Science had witnessed a steady rise in 2000 appreciating from US$392 million to US$1.23 billion in 2007.

Reacting to the report, the Executive Director, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, (AVAC), the secretariat for RTWG, Mitchell Warren, called for more donors to increase the stability of R&D financing and cushion potential impact in the event any of the major funders reduced their investments.

Speaking in a statement, he said, “We need to not only vastly accelerate HIV treatment and existing prevention options, but also to sustain investment to keep HIV prevention and research on track to provide the new tools that will move the world closer to ending AIDS.”

Also speaking, the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, Luiz Loures, said, “We are at an incredibly exciting time in the field of HIV prevention research and development with more life-saving innovations, science and technology coming to the forefront than ever before. We cannot allow a lack of funding to set back progress. Invest now and we can end AIDS by 2030.”

The 13th annual report on global HIV funding will set new agenda at the 9th edition of the International AIDS Society Conference taking place in Paris, France.