Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to work with (a) international organisations and (b) partners to improve access to (i) antiretroviral therapy and (ii) other affordable medications in regions with high HIV prevalence.

Our pledge of £1 billion to the Global Fund for 2023-2025 will save over 1 million lives, including by providing antiretroviral therapy for 1.8 million people and HIV counselling and testing for 48 million people. FCDO also supports research and market shaping initiatives into HIV commodities to improve their development, access and affordability, particularly in low-income and high-burden countries . For example, the UK funds the WHO hosted Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction which has led important research on HIV, such as the recent ECHO trial on the link between HIV infection and contraceptive methods. FCDO also funds the International Partnership on Microbicides, a Product Development Partnership which develops innovative technologies, for example the dapivirine ring, the first long-acting HIV prevention product to help address women's unmet need for new methods of HIV-prevention. Our catalytic funding to MedAccess - an innovative social financing company for healthcare products - has led to the development of HIV-syphillis dual tests, and to securing HIV self-tests at a historic price of $1.