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GENEVA, 11 February 2022—The French virologist and co-discoverer of HIV, Luc Montagnier, sadly died this week. He was an expert on retroviruses and a pioneer in HIV science. He founded and directed the Viral Oncology Unit at the Pasteur Institute in France, where he led the team that discovered HIV, research that was first published in the journal Science in 1983.
He was one of the earliest advocates for promoting HIV prevention and treatment and for fighting against stigma and discrimination against people living with and affected by HIV. In 2008, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of HIV.
“Luc Montagnier dedicated his life to science and his co-discovery of HIV paved the way for research into and development of antiretroviral medicines, which have saved the lives of millions of people around the world,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “UNAIDS sends its heartfelt condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.”
Since the start of the AIDS pandemic 79 million people have become infected with HIV and 39 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses. In 2020, there were around 38 million people living with the virus 10 million of whom did not have access to treatment – demonstrating the urgent need to end the pandemic caused by the virus which was discovered by Luc Montagnier 40 years ago.
