23 juli 2025
Scientists Call for Investment in HIV Drug Research
AMSTERDAM, July 23 – An international coalition of HIV researchers, patients and donors calls for increased investment in HIV drug research in a new publication in medical journal The Lancet HIV. The article shows breakthroughs in HIV drug research and major funding shortfalls. According to the authors, finding a cure is essential to end the global HIV epidemic, but insufficient funding is available.
A cure is possible
The article focuses on recent breakthroughs that show HIV cure is biologically possible. Ten people have now achieved long-term HIV remission or cure, including two new cases in 2025, following treatment with stem cell transplantation.
"We now have definitive evidence that HIV can be cured," says lead author Dr. Remko van Leeuwen of Aidsfonds-Soa Aids Nederland. "The question is no longer whether cure is possible, but how quickly we can develop safe, accessible treatments."
Promising new approaches include:
- Therapeutic vaccines that train the immune system to control HIV
- Gene-editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas9
- Broadly neutralizing antibodies
- "Shock and kill" strategies to eliminate dormant virus
Funding crisis
Despite scientific progress, a critical funding shortfall looms. Nearly 90% of global HIV drug funding historically came from the US, but since President Trump took office, the future of international health programs is uncertain. Investment in HIV is also decreasing in Europe.
"We stand at a tipping point," explains Yazdan Yazdanpanah, director of the French ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases Agency. "The scientific tools are within reach, but without adequate funding, these breakthroughs remain in laboratories."
Economic arguments
Worldwide, 40.8 million people live with HIV and in 2024 there were 1.3 million new infections. Lifetime medical costs vary from €5,000 in low-income countries to more than €500,000 in wealthy countries.
"A cure would not only save lives but also deliver enormous cost savings," says Nobel Prize winner Dr. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, co-discoverer of HIV.
Call to Action The researchers call for:
- More public funding for early-stage research
- Establishment of an HIV impact fund through public-private partnerships
- Greater involvement of institutes from low and middle-income countries
- Coordinated global agenda led by international health organizations
"The EU and other international partners must fill the funding gap," states Birgit Poniatowski, executive director of IAS, the International AIDS Society. "We have the scientific foundation and technological tools. What we need is political commitment and financial resources that match the urgency of this major health challenge."
From the patient perspective, Florence Riako Anam of the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) emphasizes the human impact: "For the 40.8 million people worldwide living with HIV, a cure represents hope that goes beyond daily medication and lifelong treatment. It means liberation from the persistent stigmatization and economic hardships that define our daily reality. We need research that not only advances science but also truly addresses the real needs of our communities."
