South Africa, Gates Foundation Pledge Funds to Sustain HIV Research After US Cuts
The contribution, which sees the government's 400 million rand pledge over three years augmented by 100 million rand each from the foundations, will be available for defunded research programs including targeting diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis, the South African Medical Research Council said in a statement on Monday.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
A $2.5 billion pledge makes women's health a priority in Gates Foundation spend-down
Innovations on the horizon in women's health show what's possible with more investment. With the help of ultrasound equipment powered by artificial intelligence, frontline health care workers may be able to track the progress of developing embryos with a minimum of training. And birth control injections that last six months could give women more control over reproduction. Those are just two potential breakthroughs out of more than 40 the Gates Foundation intends to support through a five-year, $2.5 billion commitment on women's health research and development, more than triple the amount it has spent on women's health innovation over the past five years. 'Many of the most pressing conditions impacting women still remain understudied, underdiagnosed, and overlooked,' said Ru-fong Joanne Cheng, director of Women's Health Innovations at Gates. A very small share of medical research funding supports the study of health specific to women, including gynecological and menstrual health, obstetric care, contraceptive innovation, sexually transmitted infections, and maternal health and nutrition, the foundation said. It cited a 2021 McKinsey and Company study that found 1% of all medical research, setting aside cancer research, goes toward women's health. The foundation framed the commitment as part of its May announcement that it would spend down its assets over the next 20 years and concentrate much of its support on global health. While much of the research funded over the next five years will benefit women worldwide, the foundation said, the need is most acute in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. By devoting billions to women's health, the foundation has signaled it intends to continue to invest in the cause following the 2024 departure of Melinda French Gates, who led the foundation's support of girls' and women's health. Since her divorce from Bill Gates, French Gates has committed more than $1 billion to improve women's physical and mental health, provide more economic opportunity to women, and increase their political sway. The announcement follows a U.S. pullback of support for global maternal health programs during the first seven months of the Trump administration. The shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development and program reductions at the Centers for Disease Control have sunset programs focused on women's health. According to a March internal USAID memo, the agency's closure will stop services for 16.8 million pregnant women annually. In April, the World Health Organization said that the 40 percent decline in maternal deaths from 2000 to 2023 has been put at risk because of aid cuts. 'We need both innovation and delivery' While the foundation continues to focus on the delivery of health care globally in an era of governmental retreat, the $2.5 billion will focus squarely on research needed to save lives, Anita Zaidi, president of Gates's Gender Equality Division, said on a press call Monday to discuss the announcement. 'This is an innovation-focused announcement,' she said. 'We need both innovation and delivery.' It's important to remember that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only been required to test novel drugs on women in clinical trials since 1993, and many tests are still only done on men, said Katy Brodsky Falco, founder of the Foundation for Women's Health, which plans to make $5 million in research grants this year. With Gates getting behind research and development of women's health with such a large commitment, others may follow, Brodsky Falco said. 'Hopefully it will bring the issue to the top of the conversation among private donors and family foundations, even if they otherwise haven't supported this type of work,' she said. Moses Obimbo Madadi, professor at the University of Nairobi, noted that postpartum hemorrhaging causes about 3,000 deaths annually in Kenya. If men were the victims, he said, a G7 conference would be called to find a solution, but research on the subject has largely been ignored because it claims the lives of women. 'We've treated this as a peripheral issue other than making it a centerpiece of our research,' he said, calling the Gates commitment a 'very good starting point.' _____ Alex Daniels is a senior reporter at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, where you can read the full article. This article was provided to The Associated Press by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as part of a partnership to cover philanthropy and nonprofits supported by the Lilly Endowment. The Chronicle is solely responsible for the content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit Alex Daniels Of The Chronicle Of Philanthropy, The Associated Press
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Associated Press
A $2.5 billion pledge makes women's health a priority in Gates Foundation spend-down
Innovations on the horizon in women's health show what's possible with more investment. With the help of ultrasound equipment powered by artificial intelligence, frontline health care workers may be able to track the progress of developing embryos with a minimum of training. And birth control injections that last six months could give women more control over reproduction. Those are just two potential breakthroughs out of more than 40 the Gates Foundation intends to support through a five-year, $2.5 billion commitment on women's health research and development, more than triple the amount it has spent on women's health innovation over the past five years. 'Many of the most pressing conditions impacting women still remain understudied, underdiagnosed, and overlooked,' said Ru-fong Joanne Cheng, director of Women's Health Innovations at Gates. A very small share of medical research funding supports the study of health specific to women, including gynecological and menstrual health, obstetric care, contraceptive innovation, sexually transmitted infections, and maternal health and nutrition, the foundation said. It cited a 2021 McKinsey and Company study that found 1% of all medical research, setting aside cancer research, goes toward women's health. The foundation framed the commitment as part of its May announcement that it would spend down its assets over the next 20 years and concentrate much of its support on global health. While much of the research funded over the next five years will benefit women worldwide, the foundation said, the need is most acute in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. By devoting billions to women's health, the foundation has signaled it intends to continue to invest in the cause following the 2024 departure of Melinda French Gates, who led the foundation's support of girls' and women's health. Since her divorce from Bill Gates, French Gates has committed more than $1 billion to improve women's physical and mental health, provide more economic opportunity to women, and increase their political sway. The announcement follows a U.S. pullback of support for global maternal health programs during the first seven months of the Trump administration. The shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development and program reductions at the Centers for Disease Control have sunset programs focused on women's health. According to a March internal USAID memo, the agency's closure will stop services for 16.8 million pregnant women annually. In April, the World Health Organization said that the 40 percent decline in maternal deaths from 2000 to 2023 has been put at risk because of aid cuts. 'We need both innovation and delivery' While the foundation continues to focus on the delivery of health care globally in an era of governmental retreat, the $2.5 billion will focus squarely on research needed to save lives, Anita Zaidi, president of Gates's Gender Equality Division, said on a press call Monday to discuss the announcement. 'This is an innovation-focused announcement,' she said. 'We need both innovation and delivery.' It's important to remember that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only been required to test novel drugs on women in clinical trials since 1993, and many tests are still only done on men, said Katy Brodsky Falco, founder of the Foundation for Women's Health, which plans to make $5 million in research grants this year. With Gates getting behind research and development of women's health with such a large commitment, others may follow, Brodsky Falco said. 'Hopefully it will bring the issue to the top of the conversation among private donors and family foundations, even if they otherwise haven't supported this type of work,' she said. Moses Obimbo Madadi, professor at the University of Nairobi, noted that postpartum hemorrhaging causes about 3,000 deaths annually in Kenya. If men were the victims, he said, a G7 conference would be called to find a solution, but research on the subject has largely been ignored because it claims the lives of women. 'We've treated this as a peripheral issue other than making it a centerpiece of our research,' he said, calling the Gates commitment a 'very good starting point.' _____ Alex Daniels is a senior reporter at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, where you can read the full article. This article was provided to The Associated Press by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as part of a partnership to cover philanthropy and nonprofits supported by the Lilly Endowment. The Chronicle is solely responsible for the content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
Medscape
10 hours ago
- Medscape
Novel Tuberculosis Shots May Benefit HIV-Positive Population
TOPLINE: A two-dose regimen of the M72/AS01 E-4, a recombinant fusion protein tuberculosis vaccine candidate, demonstrated acceptable safety and immunogenicity in virally suppressed, antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated adolescents and adults living with HIV, showing strong antibody and CD4 T-cell responses. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a randomized, phase 2 trial in South Africa to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the investigational M72/AS01 E-4 tuberculosis vaccine, derived from two Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens (Mtb32A and Mtb39A) and AS01 E-4 adjuvant, in people living with HIV. tuberculosis vaccine, derived from two Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens (Mtb32A and Mtb39A) and AS01 adjuvant, in people living with HIV. Overall, 401 participants — each on ART for ≥ 3 months with HIV viral loads < 200 copies per mL and CD4 T-cell count ≥ 200 cells per µL — were randomly assigned to receive either the M72/AS01 vaccine (n = 201; mean age, 29.4 years; 87% women) or placebo (n = 200; mean age, 29.6 years; 88% women), on days 1 and 29. Primary endpoints were the vaccine's reactogenicity and safety, assessed via solicited adverse events (AEs) within 7 days, unsolicited AEs within 28 days, and serious AEs throughout the trial. Immunogenicity was evaluated by measuring M72-specific immunoglobulin G antibody concentrations on days 1, 29, 57, 210, and 390, as well as M72-specific CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses. TAKEAWAY: Vaccine-related AEs occurred more frequently in the vaccine group (12%) than in the placebo group (6%), primarily due to a higher rate of injection-site reactions in the vaccine group (8% vs 1%). Two severe unsolicited AEs related to the vaccine were reported — a case each of dizziness and injection-site erythema, but no participant discontinued the trial or died due to AEs. Nine serious AEs occurred — four in the vaccine group (COVID-19, tibia fracture, spontaneous abortion, or psychotic disorder) and five in the placebo group (COVID-19, anal abscess, spontaneous abortion, substance-induced psychotic disorder, or physical assault); none was related to the vaccine. In the vaccine group, the geometric mean concentration of antibodies against M72 increased from the baseline level to 13.28 EU/mL by day 29, peaked at 479.70 EU/mL by day 57, and then declined to 32.43 EU/mL by day 390 — yet remained above prevaccination levels. No such increase was observed in the placebo group. The M72-specific CD4 T cells expressing interferon gamma or interleukin-2 was significantly higher in the vaccine group than in the placebo group at both day 57 and day 390 (P < .0001). IN PRACTICE: 'In conclusion, a two-dose regimen of M72/AS01 E-4 vaccine, administered 1 month apart, was well-tolerated, with an acceptable safety profile, and was immunogenic in virally suppressed, ART-treated people living with HIV aged 16-35 years,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Alemnew F. Dagnew, MD, Gates Medical Research Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was published online on July 1, 2025, in The Lancet HIV. LIMITATIONS: The trial population was restricted to people living with HIV who achieved viral suppression through ART, potentially limiting the generalizability of the results to those not on ART, not adhering to treatment, or newly diagnosed with HIV. Additionally, most participants were women, which may have affected overall trial outcomes given the higher risk for tuberculosis among men. DISCLOSURES: The study was funded by the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. Several authors were employees of the Gates Medical Research Institute during the trial. Some authors also received financial aid from other organizations, including Wellcome, UK Research and Innovation, Cancer Research UK, and TB Alliance. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
