HIV Vaccines - Accelerating the Development of Preventive HIV Vaccines for the World: Summary Report and Recommendations of an International Meeting

17

5. Future Activities
The pace of scientific progress and recent research findings are encouraging that an HIV vaccine
can be developed. While this is not certain, the rapid rate of spread of the HIV epidemic, the
gravity of its potential consequences, and the limited impact of current prevention efforts, highlight
the importance of mobilizing additional resources for HIV vaccine research and development. The
HIV epidemic is truly a global epidemic, and as a result the development of preventive HIV
vaccines will benefit the human race.
The organizations currently engaged in HIV vaccine research and development all have mandates
that limit the scope of their vaccine research and development agendas. To date, the major
source of funding for vaccine research has come from the public sectors of the developed
countries and the vast majority of these funds have been administered by agencies with a
domestic focus. The development assistance agencies, whose mandate is directed towards those
living in developing countries, have not been major funders. Product development has been left
almost exclusively in the hands of the private sector where the expertise and resources lie. In the
current environment, however, the risks and potential returns from investing in the development of
HIV vaccines are not sufficient for the private sector to make a substantial commitment to vaccine
development. Without the expectation of adequate returns it is unrealistic to expect commercial
vaccine companies to divert resources in favor of the development of a vaccine merely for the
good of the public. Commercial manufacturers cannot be expected to bear the sole responsibility
of developing high-risk, low-priced products. As a result, the public sector will need to reduce the
disincentives for industry to invest if a vaccine is to be developed with the least possible delay.
The successful-development of a preventive HIV vaccine will almost certainly depend upon the
involvement of both the private and public sectors from around the world. In the current
environment, no one government or company has the resources and incentive to take on the
challenge of developing an HIV vaccine alone. The potential resources, however, that could be
mobilized if the public and private sector of different countries were encouraged to work together
would be substantial. Within the public sector, the development of an HIV vaccine is of
importance for a number of different agencies, including those with concerns in health, economic
development, and international development.
The participants at the meeting concluded that the establishment a new global HIV vaccine
initiative with the primary mandate of accelerating the development of preventive HIV vaccines
would be the most effective method of ensuring that a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine
appropriate for worldwide use is developed and made available in the shortest time possible. The
establishment of a new global initiative backed with sufficient resources could potentially alter the
future course of the HIV epidemic, save the lives of large numbers of people, and reduce the
economic consequences of the epidemic. Such a global partnership would be a winning situation
for all involved.