Shortages of crucial HIV medicines due to aid cuts are a ‘warning’, say experts

Aid cuts have affected HIV drug and test supplies across the world, with some providers reporting they are out of stock of key medicines, according to a survey of 40 countries.

Organisations providing HIV care revealed that more than half (55%) had run out of stock within the past year, with a critical scarcity of HIV tests and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – a prescription medicine that people take to reduce the risk of getting HIV.

The survey by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), a network of organisations in more than 170 countries dedicated to sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice, showed that at the time of questioning, 40% of its members reported they had run out of all stock of a product and 60% had at least one product at low stock levels.

Mallah Tabot, a senior adviser at IPPF Africa’s regional office, said: “These shortages are a warning of what happens when funding becomes uncertain and the supply systems communities depend on grow fragile.

“We cannot let decades of progress against HIV be undone simply because products aren’t available. This is not a distant risk – it is already happening.

“HIV infections are rising in a number of countries around the world and lives are being lost,” she added.

Findings from the 40 member associations that responded to the survey revealed that HIV rapid diagnostic tests were the most critically affected product across all respondents.

Testing is provided by almost every responding member association, yet 17 reported low stock and a further five reported no availability, meaning that more than half cannot offer sustained HIV testing at the point of care.

Oral and injectable PrEP were also scarce, with 12 member associations reporting low stock or none at all. Without reliable access to these basic commodities, there will be gaps and interruptions in care for people seeking healthcare from IPPF member associations.

In general, respondents from the Arab world, Asia and Oceania, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean said supplies, including condoms and antiretroviral therapy, were unreliable.

Lori Miller, an HIV adviser for IPPF, said: “Our partners already have what it takes to deliver integrated HIV prevention, testing and treatment – the clinic networks, digital infrastructure, health workforce and community trust to reach people with care – but unreliable supplies are letting them down.”

An estimated 40.9 million people were living with HIV worldwide last year, when there were 570,000 Aids-related deaths recorded, alongside 1.2 million new HIV infections.

In 2025, HIV responses around the world were disrupted by cuts that threatened to stall years of progress. That year, there was a fall in aid spending of about 23% compared with 2024, leading the UN to warn in June of the risk of a resurgence of the HIV epidemic.