Trump Administration Waives Halt on Distribution of HIV Medications Via PEPFAR

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The Trump administration has made some concessions to the halt placed on distributions of global HIV treatments via the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), according to The New York Times.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the waiver on Tuesday; however, exactly what it covers remains unclear. While the waiver does allow for the resumption of distributing HIV medications, the freeze on other services, including the distribution of preventive drugs, is still thought to be in place.

PEPFAR, a $7.5 billion program under the governance of the State Department, was due for a five-year reauthorization in 2023. After avoiding a Republican effort to end the program, it was renewed for one year, according to The Times. Data on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website indicate that more than 1 million Americans are living with HIV, with more than 30,000 becoming infected each year.

Americans would face serious consequences if PEPFAR is defunded, The Times reported. Without the availability of HIV medications in other countries, there is a higher risk for HIV developing resistance to current medications. Large populations of immunocompromised people could lead to easier spread of other pathogens, including dangerous COVID variants. Trials conducted with PEPFAR support have provided insight into the importance of early treatment of HIV, managing pregnancy and the virus, and preexposure prophylaxis and long-acting antiretrovirals.

“We can very rapidly return to where the pandemic is exploding, like it was back in the 1980s,” Steve Deeks, M.D., an HIV expert at the University of California, San Francisco, told The Times. “This really cannot happen.”

The New York Times Article

Source: HealthDay

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