Yet another HIV/Aids programme has taken a knock after the US government pulled the plug on funding programmes in SA.
The BRILLIANT Consortium (BRinging Innovation to cLinical and Laboratory research to end HIV In Africa through New vaccine Technology) announced yesterday that the US government will no longer fund it thought its United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
It has now halted its research until further funding is secured as USAID was its only funder.
“The termination of this grant is catastrophic for the science we had proposed. Our first HIV vaccine trial was set to start at the end of January 2025, and we were in discussions to manufacture new novel vaccines to test in our network.
“To pick this ambitious programme will require a lot of funding from all sectors within the African continent. We can’t possibly close this gap completely, at least not as quickly as we should to close the imminent knock-on effect,” said Prof Glenda Gray, BRILLIANT director and principal investigator.
To pick this ambitious programme will require a lot of funding from all sectors within the African continent. We can’t possibly close this gap completely, at least not as quickly as we should to close the imminent knock-on effect
— Prof Glenda Gray, BRILLIANT director and principal investigator.
In 2023, the BRILLIANT Consortium led by the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) was initially tasked with heading an initiative dedicated to advancing HIV vaccine research in Africa with a budget of R829m.
The halting of financial support threatens this critical research, from laboratory infrastructure to the training of early- and mid-career researchers that are poised to lead the next generation of scientific breakthroughs.
At stake is not only the ability to develop an HIV vaccine but also the broader vision of empowering Africa’s research and clinical trials ecosystem. Plans to strengthen laboratory services, invest in training programmes, and build a self-sufficient scientific workforce have been disrupted, delaying essential research that millions of lives worldwide depend on.
US president Donald Trump announced last week that he had signed an executive order imposing a 90-day freeze on all foreign development assistance pending a review. USAID has issued notices to Pepfar-funded HIV organisations terminating their funding for good, citing allegations of extensive wasteful spending within the agency as the reason behind this decision.
One major initiative this year was the rollout of long-acting PrEP, an injectable HIV prevention method that lasts six months instead of requiring a daily pill.
— Rural Health Advocacy project director Russell Rensburg
Emphasising the importance of the project, Prof Ntobeko Ntusi, president and CEO of the SAMRC, said: “The search for an HIV vaccine remains one of the most urgent global health challenges. Science is led by people and Africa has demonstrated its capacity to deliver solutions for its own health crises.
“Now, more than ever, there is an opportunity for the continent to take charge of its own HIV/Aids funding and research agenda. We call upon African governments, the private sector, and philanthropic organisations to step forward, ensuring that decades of progress are not lost but rather accelerated by homegrown innovation and investment.”
Rural Health Advocacy project director Russell Rensburg said this would set SA back significantly.
“One major initiative this year was the rollout of long-acting PrEP, an injectable HIV prevention method that lasts six months instead of requiring a daily pill. Clinical trials in Uganda and SA showed success, but we won’t be able to roll it out, even in a limited capacity, without US government support,” he said.
“I don’t know how close to a vaccine we are and how the pause will impact our available capacity. Because when you lose the grant, you lose the people. Our current sustainable development goals take us to 2030, and we are in the final stretch of that. Normally, as we approach the deadline, we start to re-evaluate what is possible. We are probably not going to meet these goals, and new realities have emerged, so we need to discuss global health financing. SA might be able to transition, but countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, which heavily relied on external funding, may not be able to.”
Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation COO Linda-Gail Bekker said while the national fiscus supplied basic care, treatment, and prevention, there was no doubt that this loss will be felt.
“We understand that the government is currently making a plan to try to fill these gaps, and I'm sure that collaboratively we could try to mitigate the difficulties.
“This obviously is a setback in the research and development arena, and of course while work on a new HIV vaccine won't stop because others are doing that, I think this was a programme that we were very proud of and we're making quite a bit of progress on. These are now no longer in existence,” said Bekker.
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