Obama announces HIV research program

President Obama announced Monday that the federal government would redirect $100 million to a new research program at the National Institutes of Health seeking a cure to HIV.

{mosads}While speaking at a World AIDS Day event at the White House, the president said that although the disease “now comes with a good chance at a healthy and productive life,” the U.S. needs to “keep focusing on investments” to fight the spread of HIV.

“We’re making progress,” Obama said. “But we’re all here today because we know our work is far from finished.” The president said he was committed to do “everything in our power to save those who we can,” and said he hoped he would see the efforts result in an “AIDS-free generation.”

“That’s the world I want for my daughters. That’s the world we want for all our families,” Obama said.

Funding for the new $100 million program will be diverted from other AIDS research funding. The administration says that while some individuals appear to have recently been cured of the disease through “aggressive therapy,” those approaches are too premature for broad use.

Read more on The Hill.