The Trump administration has halted the supply of vital drugs against HIV, malaria and tuberculosis to countries supported by the US aid agency (USAID), according to a memo reviewed by Reuters.
Contractors and partners working with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) began receiving letters on Tuesday telling them to stop working immediately, the sources said. The move is part of a broader freeze on U.S. aid and funding that Trump ordered upon taking office and will last until the program is reviewed.
One such letter was sent to Semonix, a large American consulting firm that works with USAID to supply drugs for a number of diseases around the world.
The memo covers the company’s actions in supplying drugs against HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as contraception and maternal and child health supplies, a USAID source and a former USAID official told Reuters.
“This is catastrophic,” said Atul Gavande, the former head of global health at USAID who left the agency this month. “Donated drug supplies keep 20 million people living with HIV alive. That stops today,” he warned.
Semoniks and USAID did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the case.
Interruptions in the treatment of diseases put patients at risk of disease and, especially in the case of HIV, of transmitting the virus to others. It also means drug-resistant strains could emerge, Gavande said.
He said other partners have also been notified that they will not be able to deliver drugs to clinics even if they have them in stock or open clinics if they are funded by the US.
This also applies to organizations working with 6.5 million orphans and vulnerable children with HIV in 23 countries, he said.
On January 20, the day he was sworn in, Trump ordered a three-month freeze on foreign aid, pending evaluations of effectiveness and consistency with US foreign policy.
The actions of the new US administration threaten billions of dollars in much-needed aid from the world’s largest single donor. In fiscal year 2023, the US disbursed $72 billion in aid. It provided 42 percent of all humanitarian aid, according to data monitored by the United Nations in 2024.
