As monkeypox cases continue to climb steeply in the U.S., with the vast majority being men who have sex with men, HIV drug maker ViiV has set up a new fund to help funnel cash into communities hardest hit by the disease.
Partly owned by GSK, ViiV is making a total of $500,000 available for the programs, according to a release. Eligible U.S. organizations can submit requests for up to $50,000 to support increased outreach, education, testing and access to prevention and care for monkeypox in community settings.
ViiV Healthcare’s Monkeypox Emergency Response Fund will be spread out to “U.S. community-based organizations,” the company said in the release.
Consistently scoring high in pharma reputation rankings in recent years and with a strong connection with the LGBTQ+ community, ViiV said in the release that the cash comes as monkeypox cases “surge across the U.S. and disproportionately affect LGBTQ communities, particularly men who have sex with men and people living with HIV.”
Gilead, which also sells HIV drugs, also set up its own Global Monkeypox Outbreak Emergency Fund, which forms part of a $5 million grant that is also being used in areas outside monkeypox. For the new outbreak, Gilead will provide grants of up to $50,000 to certain organizations working in regions with active monkeypox outbreaks to respond to this growing emergency.
The funds can be used for “community mobilization activities specifically addressing MPV outbreak in communities disproportionately impacted by HIV, operating costs related to HIV testing and service interruptions and essential safety materials,” the Californian pharma said in a release.
The U.S. currently has the highest rates of monkeypox cases amid this new outbreak, with the CDC recording more than 10,000 cases in total on August 10, and cases continue to climb steeply each week.
President Joe Biden earlier this month declared monkeypox a public health emergency, which in essence allows the government to speed up the distribution of the vaccines and expand testing.
“Our Monkeypox Emergency Response Fund is designed to help frontline, grassroots organizations respond to the monkeypox emergency in the U.S. by providing much needed financial support to continue their work and meet the urgent need for monkeypox prevention, screening and education,” said Lynn Baxter, head of ViiV Healthcare North America, in ViiV's press release.