UNAIDS director proposes that President Trump make an 'amazing deal' to
end HIV
[March 25, 2025]
GENEVA (AP) —
The head of the U.N. AIDS agency said Monday that the sudden loss of
American money has been “devastating” for efforts to stop HIV and will
cost many lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. But she also
proposed an “amazing deal” for U.S. President Donald Trump that she said
could result in “the end of AIDS.”
At a news briefing in Geneva, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima
said that the deal would involve Trump enabling the U.S. company Gilead
to produce and license its “magical” prevention drug lenacapavir across
the world to the millions of people who need it.
Lenacapavir, sold as Sunlenca, has been shown through twice-yearly
injections to completely prevent HIV infection in women and which works
nearly as well in men.
“President Trump likes deals,” Byanyimasaid, acknowledging that it was
President George W. Bush who first started paying for the widespread
roll-out of HIV drugs more than two decades ago.
“It could be President Trump, another Republican president, who leads
the prevention revolution towards the end of AIDS,” Byanyima said.
She added that the deal would result not only in profits for Gilead and
create jobs for Americans, but save millions of lives in poorer
countries.
Byanyima said that American money made up about 35% of UNAIDS’ core
budget last year but it was unclear whether that might be restored for
next year. She said the agency was in talks with the U.S. government but
was also preparing for a worst-case scenario, in which there was no
funding available from the U.S.
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Winnie Byanyima, then-executive director of Oxfam International,
attends the 47th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in
Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone
via AP, File)
 Byanyima said it was unlikely any
other donors would be able to fill that vacuum, adding that European
donors have told the agency they would be cutting back on their
support in order to redirect their funds to defense and other
priorities.
Byanyima said that unless support to HIV efforts is restored, there
could be more than 6.3 million additional deaths in the next four
years and an additional 2,000 people per day becoming infected.
She acknowledged that there has been some valid criticism regarding
how HIV aid has been delivered, calling it “an opportunity to
rethink and develop more efficient ways of delivering life-saving
support.”
Byanyima also said African countries were trying to become more
self-sufficient and that even some of the poorest nations were now
“trying to stretch very weak, fragile health systems to absorb
people living with HIV.”
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