US spending in biomedicine has driven pre-eminence in academia, Nobel prizes, scientific training discovery, translation and healthcare. The associated USAID spend on global health programmes has worldwide impacts, including on the ongoing HIV eradication timeline. Current policy changes place this continued trajectory into doubt, with ramifications for international research collaborations, global health and pandemic preparedness.
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D.M.A. has received honoraria for consultancies with AstraZeneca, Novavax, PfizerBioNtech and Oxford Immuotec. A.L.R. declares no competing interests.
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Altmann, D.M., Rasmussen, A.L. How to respond when biomedical science and global health is under existential threat. Nat Rev Immunol 25, 313–314 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-025-01166-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-025-01166-1