amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, is calling for an increase of HIV / AIDS research funding at National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The call for increased funding comes in response to US President Barack Obama’s proposed FY2017 budget, which flat-funds HIV research at the NIH.
The flat-funding further reduces progress in scientific research on HIV / AIDS, amfAR said.
Funding for medical research at the NIH received a 2.5% increase to up to $33.1bn, but HIV research received no additional funding for FY 2017.
Consequently, the funds earmarked for NIH HIV research remains unchanged from the past three years and at the same level as FY 2009.
amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost said: "We applaud the Administration for its commitment to increase funding for biomedical research, but we worry that flat-lining our country’s investments in HIV / AIDS research will impact the lifesaving research that could help us find a cure for HIV."
amfAR estimates that if HIV research funding was increased in line with the increase in total NIH funding, then an additional $76.6m would be available for HIV research in 2017.
The increased HIV / AIDS research budget could allow the NIH to fund 180 HIV / AIDS studies in 2017 that could significantly advance HIV prevention, treatment or cure research.
NIH would also be able to fund 51 clinical trials that will focus on curing HIV.
Additionally, a breakthrough prevention trial such as the HPTN 052 study could also be funded.
amfAR public policy director Greg Millet said: "Both the HPTN 052 and iPrEx studies were widely hailed as the number one scientific breakthroughs for their respective years.
"It’s an exciting time in HIV research, and the dollars lost due to flat-funding this year alone could cost funding the next medical HIV / AIDS breakthrough."
