US Ends $258M HIV Vaccine and Prevention Funding

The Trump administration has terminated a $258 million HIV vaccine research initiative, halting major programs at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute and Scripps Research Institute, and pausing Moderna's NIH-funded clinical trials. Over 230 HIV- and AIDS-specific research grants have also been eliminated, and the CDC’s HIV prevention division has been shut down. Federal officials said funding was reallocated to existing prevention methods due to concerns about duplicative efforts and the need to maximize federal spending. Public health experts warn these cuts could set HIV vaccine research back by a decade and undermine global control efforts. Local programs are now seeking alternative funding sources to continue their work. The decision coincides with the pending FDA review of Gilead’s lenacapavir, a new preventative HIV treatment.