G8 makes AIDS vaccine an international scientific priority
At the recent Group of Eight (G8) summit on Sea Island in the US, the leaders of the world's most industrialised nations, namely the US, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Canada and Russia, adopted a plan for the establishment of a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise. The plan calls for the creation of a global research network to develop a vaccine against the disease, which infects five million people and kills three million every year. The goal of the of this initiative, explained Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, is to gather in a single consortium all the researchers from around the globe and 'synergise' the search for what most would agree is the best hope of combating HIV. 'Finding a vaccine is very problematic,' he added, 'because of the scientific gaps, as well as the logistics gaps.' The G8 agreement allows for coordinating research and standardising laboratory measurements systems and parameters, so that advances in one country can be used in others, thus creating a network of clinics for trials. The agreement also promotes the development of greater capacity for the manufacture and distribution of any vaccine discovered. Furthermore, the initiative would work towards eliminating red tape, thus allowing regulatory authorities in different countries to recognise clinical trials and data across borders. US president George W Bush has already announced plans to spend 15 million dollars (around 12 million euro) on the launch of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise. This money will be spent on establishing the first of many 'virtual centres' for coordinating the research network. This, it is hoped, will help further engage scientists from developing countries. Oxfam, the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) with many projects in developing countries, welcomed the initiative, but insisted that more needed to be done to combat the pandemic. 'We need a much more comprehensive approach,' said Irungu Houghton, Oxfam's Africa policy advisor. 'The global fund to fight AIDS is still under-financed and seems mired in bureaucracy.' The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) reacted to the news by stating it was 'pleased to see this expression of support and commitment to accelerating the research on and availability of a vaccine against HIV, one of the major impediments today to sustainable development of underprivileged countries.' The partnership also insisted, however, that 'we must not forget that the same challenges are being faced with tuberculosis and malaria, as well as other more neglected causes of illness and poverty in the developing world.' Through the EDCTP, the European Union is funding research into the three major poverty related diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Countries
Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom