Biopharma Pushes for HIV Cure Amid NIH Funding Cuts

The pharmaceutical industry is making significant strides towards developing a cure for HIV, even as federal funding for related research faces substantial cuts. Companies like Gilead Sciences and Immunocore are leading the charge, targeting the next frontier in HIV treatment: a functional cure that could eliminate the need for lifelong antiretroviral therapy.

Funding Challenges and Industry Response

The Trump administration's recent decision to slash funding for HIV-related research and infrastructure at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has sent shockwaves through the scientific community. As of April 11, approximately 770 active research grants have been cancelled, with HIV/AIDS-related projects accounting for 29% of the axed programs. This disproportionate impact on HIV research has raised concerns about achieving the administration's goal of ending HIV in the U.S. by 2030.

Despite these setbacks, the pharmaceutical industry is stepping up to fill the gap. Martin Rhee, director of clinical research at Gilead, emphasized the critical role of both federal funding and private sector innovation in HIV research. "Federal funding is really, really important, for scientific innovation, but also at the level of implementation as well," Rhee stated, highlighting partnerships with federally funded groups like the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) and the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN).

Advancing Towards a Functional Cure

The focus of HIV research has shifted from controlling the virus to finding a cure. While a complete eradication of the virus remains challenging, researchers are pursuing a functional cure, or remission, where the viral reservoir is significantly reduced and the immune system can control what remains.

Gilead Sciences is developing a bispecific T cell engager, GS-8588, designed to bring T cells together with HIV-infected cells for targeted destruction. Similarly, Immunocore is leveraging its T cell receptor therapy expertise, which led to the FDA approval of Kimmtrak for uveal melanoma, to tackle HIV. David Berman, EVP of research and development at Immunocore, shared promising Phase I/II trial results for their candidate, IMC-M113V, which showed "signals of dose-dependent viral control after antiretroviral treatment (ART) is interrupted."

Another innovative approach comes from Excision, which is using CRISPR gene-editing technology. The company recently presented data from a Phase I/II study of EBT-101, demonstrating the potential of gene editing to safely target HIV DNA reservoirs in human cells.

Long-Acting Treatments and Future Prospects

While the pursuit of a cure continues, pharmaceutical companies are also focusing on improving current treatments. Gilead is working to extend the dosing interval of its antiretroviral therapy Sunlenca (lenacapavir) from twice-yearly to once-yearly injections. Phase I data presented at the 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) showed promising results for two novel once-yearly formulations of lenacapavir.

The development of these long-acting treatments addresses key challenges in HIV management, including the stigma associated with daily pill-taking and the burden of frequent dosing. Gilead expects to launch a Phase III trial for once-yearly lenacapavir in the second half of 2025.

As the pharmaceutical industry pushes forward with these groundbreaking approaches, the impact of NIH funding cuts remains a concern. John Meade, senior program manager for Policy at the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), expressed worry about the potential motivations behind the cuts and their effect on vulnerable populations. Nevertheless, companies like Gilead are committed to maintaining progress in HIV research, with Devi SanGupta, head of Gilead's HIV cure strategy, emphasizing the importance of the industry ecosystem in keeping research moving forward and engaging with lawmakers to address funding challenges.