Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - 1 Dec 1995
"If something doesn't happen soon there will be a lot of focus (at the conference) on why this country hasn't renewed its AIDS strategy," Dr Michael Rekart, co-chair of the 11th International Conference on AIDS scheduled for July 7 to 12 in Vancouver, told reporters.
"It's very short-sighted ... It's going to detract from the merits of the conference," added Dr Julio Montaner, co-chair of program development for the meeting, which is expected to be the biggest so far in the biennial series with 15,000 delegates.
Canada's federal government recently announced it will not accept new applications for AIDS research grants because its current funding program expires in March 1998, leaving too little time for new studies, which usually span several years.
While Ottawa says it is considering future funding alternatives, scientists and AIDS activists say the uncertainty is already slowing Canada's research effort.
Montaner said Canada has been a leader in AIDS research, and government inaction hurts programs such as the one that led to the development of AIDS drug 3TC by BioChem Pharma Inc of Montreal. It was recently recommended for regulatory approval in the United States for use in combination with the existing drug AZT.
AIDS activists vow to highlight the funding crisis at next year's conference. "It will be an embarrassment for the country and we will make sure it's made public," said Rick Marchand, executive director of AIDS Vancouver.
Canada's health ministry currently spends about $41 million Canadian ($30.3 million U.S.) a year under its national AIDS strategy with about $17 million Canadian ($12.6 million U.S.) allocated to research.
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