What does it take to turn innovation into equitable access? That was the conversation at our #AIDS2026 satellite session marking 20 years of Unitaid. It was a privilege to hear from longstanding partners who have helped shape our journey – and to look ahead at what comes next.

Viral hepatitis claims 1.3 million lives every year. The tools exist. The challenge is access. Unitaid is supporting innovations that help make hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment simpler and more accessible. #WorldHepatitisDay

A cure for hepatitis C exists. The next challenge is making sure care reaches everyone who needs it. A Unitaid-backed study led by Médecins du Monde in Armenia, Georgia and Tanzania is exploring how simpler approaches can accelerate access to hepatitis C treatment. Read more below.

Latin America & the Caribbean helped shape the future of HIV prevention. But will they benefit from the innovations they helped advance? The region accounts for 1 in 10 new HIV infections globally, yet access to new innovations remains uneven. #AIDS2026. IAS - the International AIDS Society

Innovation creates possibility. Preparation creates access. We're investing now to help African manufacturers prepare for the potential future production of investigational once-monthly HIV prevention pill alimatravir (MK-8527), pending successful trials and regulatory approval.

#RethinkRebuildRise. The HIV response has transformed what is possible, but progress is not reaching everyone equally. At #AIDS2026, we’ll join the global community to discuss how innovation, partnership and access can shape the next chapter of the response. Find us: https://ow.ly/F8L350ZqH0k

20 years. 150+ health products. 300 million people reached annually. US$10 billion in projected savings by 2030. Nearly 1 million additional lives saved. The next 20 years start now.

Scientific breakthroughs only save lives when they reach communities. Ahead of #AIDS2026, we're investing an additional US$15M to support Global South-led partnerships and help countries prepare for the next generation of HIV prevention.

Behind every health innovation is a human story. For 20 years, access to better medicines, diagnostics and prevention tools has helped change lives around the world.

Children living with HIV were once treated with medicines designed for adults. Improving access meant creating treatments designed around children’s needs. Because everyone deserves medicines that work for them. #AIDS2026

What does #oil have to do with #HIV medicines? More than you might think. Our latest analysis reveals a hidden vulnerability in pharmaceutical supply chains: oil price shocks could increase the cost of producing first-line HIV treatment by up to 44%.

What does oil have to do with HIV medicines? More than you might think. Our latest analysis reveals a hidden vulnerability in pharmaceutical supply chains: oil price shocks could increase the cost of producing first-line HIV treatment by up to 44%. Explore the findings. https://ow.ly/u7lY50ZrmCZ

Resistance doesn't wait. To sustain progress against malaria and other diseases, innovation must move faster than the threats we face. Protecting gains requires constant vigilance and continued investment.

Only 45% of newborns globally benefit from interventions to prevent hepatitis B transmission. Unitaid supports community-led approaches to help ensure mothers and babies are not left behind.

HIV self-testing changed how we think about access. By removing barriers and giving people more choice, it helped reach communities who were being missed by traditional services. #AIDS2026

20 years of HIV innovation. One lesson: Innovation creates possibility. Access creates impact. Ahead of #AIDS2026, we’re looking back at the partnerships and breakthroughs that transformed the HIV response, and what comes next.

Ahead of #WorldHepatitisDay, we're highlighting the communities most affected by hepatitis C. People who inject drugs account for 43% of new infections. We support community-led approaches that bring testing and treatment closer to the people who need them.

Innovation alone is not enough. Access creates impact. A promising innovation can stall if it is too expensive, unavailable or difficult to deliver. We work across the access journey to help ensure health innovations reach the people and communities who need them.

Access is about far more than medicines. Anton Basenko shares how harm reduction changed his life, and why eliminating hepatitis C means removing barriers to care and working alongside communities.

For many people with TB, the biggest barrier to diagnosis isn’t the technology, it’s access. Together with CHAI, we’ve reduced the cost of AI-powered TB screening software by up to 65%, helping countries expand access to faster diagnosis where radiologists are in short supply.

🌍 A US$5m complementary investment from GiveWell to the SAFEStart+ initiative, in partnership with @unitaid.bsky.social, will expand integrated #HIV and syphilis testing across five African countries, helping improve care for mothers and newborns. 🔗Learn more:  https://bit.ly/4aU2gDr

Lenacapavir is a long-acting HIV prevention option with potential to transform prevention. Unitaid and partners have helped secure a generic price of about $40 per person per year across 120 countries. Access must be designed from the start, not added later.

One in three people with a fever in malaria-endemic countries seek care from private providers. A new Unitaid report highlights gaps in private sector malaria care and calls for stronger integration into national systems to improve quality, surveillance and treatment outcomes.

When essential health services come under pressure, partnerships help keep progress moving. GiveWell is investing US$5M in SAFEStart+, building on Unitaid’s work to expand access to testing for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and Chagas disease. Read more: https://ow.ly/26tq50ZnFVB

Innovation creates impact when it works for the people delivering care. From training to integration into health systems, access is about more than introducing a new tool. It's about helping health workers deliver better outcomes every day.

Before 2016, nearly half of all people living with HIV globally did not know their status. Today, HIV self-testing is part of national policy in 109 low- and middle-income countries. When barriers are removed, access can expand rapidly.

“When new tools become available, countries shouldn't have to wait months before they can use them.” Unitaid is investing up to US$3.4M to help prepare for rapid access to promising Bundibugyo Ebola diagnostics and therapeutics if proven safe and effective.

Every mother and newborn deserves access to care that can prevent infections. Ahead of #WorldHepatitisDay, join Unitaid, PATH, ICWEA and World Hepatitis Alliance, to discuss how triple elimination of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B can help protect families. https://ow.ly/7j7K50ZmOHj

A health innovation only changes lives if people can access it. Too often, cost, supply challenges, regulatory delays and limited awareness stand in the way. For 20 years, Unitaid has worked across every step of the access journey to turn innovation into impact.

Malaria remains one of the clearest examples of unequal progress in global health. Africa accounts for 95% of deaths. A child still dies every minute. Progress is real where access expands, but no single tool is enough. Protection must be layered, sustained, and evolving.