Microbicide Policy

The Alliance for Microbicide Development has worked to inform Members of Congress and key Administration officials about the promise of microbicides as a means of helping to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS globally. The Alliance's work in this area has focused on keeping decision makers fully updated on research and development activities as well as funding requirements relating to microbicides.

Today, microbicides are routinely integrated into policy discussions and legislative activity addressing the AIDS pandemic. Based in part on this increased awareness, total U.S. public sector funding for microbicides has grown from $34.6 million in FY 2000 to an estimated $117.5 million for FY 2007. Despite these welcome increases, funding dedicated to microbicide research at the National Institutes of Health accounts for just over 2% of all AIDS spending across the Institutes. Much work remains to be done to ensure that an effective and practical microbicide will become available in the near-term.

Overview of Government Outreach Activities

Three federal agencies are currently implementing significant microbicide research and development activities:

• The National Institutes of Heath (NIH) is responsible for more than half of federal dollars for microbicide research and development—an estimated $74.2 million for FY 2007—and supports the Microbicide Trials Network as well as other important research activities.
• The USA Agency for International Development's (USAID) Microbicide R&D activities have grown from $2.3 million in FY 1999 to an estimated $40 million for FY 2007. USAID sustains strong partnerships with public and private organizations working on microbicide research, including trials in developing countries where its experience is extensive, and is well positioned to facilitate introduction of microbicides once available.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a long history of conducting field trials in developing countries, although its CDC's microbicide program remains relatively small with spending totaling about $3.5 million annually. Over the last four years, these three agencies have expanded their microbicide portfolios substantially, creating the potential for costly inefficiencies and unproductive duplication of effort. Facilitating a coordinated, efficient, and adequately funded federal effort to develop safe and effective microbicides is an overriding goal of the Alliance's governmental outreach effort.

U.S. Government Funding for Microbicide R&D

In Fiscal Year 2006, Congress increased total funding for microbicide R&D by nearly 16%, from $101 million the previous year to $117.5 million. This included a boot of more than $8 million for work done at NIH and an additional $10 million for USAID's microbicide activities. CDC received about $3.5 million. In Fiscal Year 2007, funding for most programs across the federal government, including microbicide R&D was frozen at the previous year's level. For more information about investments and expenditures in microbicides, click here.

Bills and Laws

In the 110^th and 109^th Congresses (2005-2006), several bills with the potential for significant positive impact on microbicide R&D were introduced.

Microbicide Development Act

A bill intended to facilitate the development of microbicides for the prevention of HIV and other diseases through the establishment of a Microbicide Research and Development Unit at NIH and through the concurrent strengthening of microbicide activity at USAID and CDC. Learn more. The MDA was introduced in both the Senate and the House in March 2007 and has been referred to the appropriate committees.

Other Related Policy

Vaccines for the New Millennium Act

A bill to accelerate efforts to develop vaccines for diseases primarily affecting developing countries, and for other purposes. Learn more.