GET YOUR ACTS
TOGETHER !!!

Monday 8th July saw the UK media full of exciting news about progress with AIDS Vaccine Research. Positive Lives decided to look further into this story so as to provide you with a more balanced picture than the national TV news put across.
Dr Seth Berkeley, founder of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), told the Barcelona conference that;
"we now have a set of reasonable candidates - I would say it's possible we could have a vaccine in as short as 6 months and as long as 5 - 10 years".
The most promising vaccine trial - the one the TV focussed on - is called AIDSVAX, and is produced by the US biotech company VAXGEN. AIDSVAX has already begun advanced phase III trials in Thailand and results should be out next year.
It's looking like any vaccine will be good news in helping to prevent new HIV infections. But, and there usually is a 'but' attached to these stories, there are some strings attached to this good-news story.
Firstly, the VAXGEN vaccine is geared to work against the strain of HIV that is mostly prevalent in the USA & Europe. It's unlikely to work against the strain(s) that are predominant in Africa - where the vast majority of people with HIV are. Forgive us for thinking that perhaps some research companies aren't searching quite so hard for vaccines that would be effective in Africa owing to the fact that there's less money to be made out of an African vaccine. It's starting to sound like the on-going lack of access to Combination Therapy drugs all over again. Already.
Back to Dr Berkeley - he's well aware that the developing world could be left behind again. He makes the critical point that;
"if a vaccine turns out to look good but we don't have the manufacturing facilities, the delivery systems or the financing systems, what will happen is that we'll have a case of 'Eureka!' This is a great advance, but we won't be able to use it for a very long time…if you wait until the day we have a vaccine that works, it'll be 5 years or more before it gets to the places that need it".
The challenge then is for the Drug Companies, Governments and the United Nations to get their collective acts together to make sure that the coming vaccine breakthroughs aren't delayed due to lack of will or lack of money. Past experience doesn't hold out a great deal of promise, with Governments promises to the United Nations Global AIDS Fund not being matched by the cash reality.
Final thought goes to Dr Berkeley, and it's a sobering one; he's estimated that each month there is a delay in global distribution of an effective vaccine will mean another 250,000 infections.
We'll keep you updated on the issue of vaccine research in future issues.