Trump carries out the comprehensive HIV research and granting cuts: “We sit back for decades” | Trump Administration

The Federal Government canceled dozens of grants to examine HIV Expanded infections and access to care, decimating progress in eliminating the epidemic in the United States, say scientists.

The National Institutes of Health (Nih) ended At least 145 grants in connection with the investigation of the progress in the HIV supply, which were granted almost $ 450 million in federal funds. The cuts were made in phases last month.

Nih, a department of the department of Health And Human Services is the largest source of financing for medical research in the world, so that many scientists strive to find out how they can continue their work.

“The loss of this research could very well lead to a resuscitation of HIV that is more everywhere in this country,” said Julia Marcus, professor at the Harvard Medical School, who recently canceled two of her grants. “These drastic cuts quickly destroy the infrastructure of scientific research in this country and we will lose a generation of scientists.”

Approved FDA approved in 2012 Prerequisite prophylaxis (PREP), an antiviral medication that can be taken once a day and can very successfully prevent the new HIV infections. While the medication was a powerful instrument to contain the virus, the inequalities of access to these medication and daily treatment remain. Despite great progress, there are still 30,000 new infections in the United States.

Many of the HIV-related studies ended focused on improving access to pharmaceuticals such as PREP in communities with higher infection rats-intelligent and black men. One of Marcus’s projects was to investigate whether the provision of preparations for the counter would increase the consumption of the drug in endangered communities.

“Research has to focus on the most affected population groups in order to have an impact and to be relevant,” said Marcus.

However, this can be the justification for the development of so many HIV-related studies. In a termination letter checked by the Guardian on March 20, “so -called studies on diversity, justice and inclusion (dei) often cited to support the illegal discrimination based on breed and other protected characteristics that damage the health of Americans”.

The National Institutes of Health have not expanded why the grants were ended in response to questions of the guardian. In an explanation, it means “to take measures to end research financing that does not match the priorities of NIH and HHS. We must continue to cede to keep our agency back on the tradition of maintaining the gold standard, evidence -based science”.

Many researchers have remained anesthetized by the expansion of the cancellations since 2019. Donald Trump announced In his state of the union, an obligation to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the country will be addressed over the next 10 years. As part of this initiative Administration Negotiated a contract with pharmaceutical company to have prepared 200,000 patients with low incomes free of charge.

“Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once long dream within reach,” said Trump in his speech. “Together we will defeat aids in America.”

Amy Nunn, professor at Brown University School of Public Health, said that she even cut subsidies to achieve the political goals of the initiative, which included geographically targeted HIV prevention efforts. One of her studies, which ended, focused on closing the differences to prepare for preparation for African -American men in Jackson, Mississippi.

“You finally took over these guidelines at the federal level,” said Nunn, noticing that Trump was the first president to make the epidemic priority. “Now you prevent your own success. It’s so strange.”

Although hundreds of million dollars of federal funds had been awarded for the grants, the terminations will not receive all the money for the administration, since many years are in their work. Some are already finished.

Nathaniel Albright learned at the beginning of this month that a NIH scholarship that supports his doctoral examination was canceled, even though his project had already been completed. Albright, doctoral student at Ohio State University, defends his dissertation at the end of the month. Nevertheless, Albright deals with how the cuts affect the future of the field.

“It has created an environment in science in which my research railway is now seen as a high risk of institutions,” said Albright, who is currently difficult to find postdoctorates at universities.

Pamina Gorbach, an epidemiologist who teaches at the University of California in Los Angeles, has been pursuing hundreds of men with HIV in Los Angeles for 10 years to learn their needs. She had received a NIH scholarship to better facilitate her treatment by a local clinic. Your financing was also canceled at the beginning of this month.

“It’s really devastating,” said Gorbach. “If you live with HIV and are not on medication, you know what happens? You get sick and you die.”

The clinical staff in Los Angeles will probably be released due to the cuts, said Gorbach. Others agreed that an immediate concern that should pay their research employee, since the funds from a scholarship are frozen immediately as soon as they are canceled. The NIH funds are often at least part of the salaries of the university professor. Everyone stated that they were mostly alerted about the effects on the services on the services for their patients and the loss of progress to terminate the epidemic.

“This is to wipe out an entire population of people affected by an infectious disease,” said Erin Kahle, director of the Center for Sexuality and Health differences at the University of Michigan, who has lost a NIH scholarship.

A whole category of diseases from research will have countless downstream effects on the rest of the health care, added.

“That resets us for decades,” said Kahle.