AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, June 8 & 15, 1998
Daniel J. DeNoon, Senior Editor
That's the opinion of the independent AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) on the first anniversary of President Bill Clinton's avowed 10-year, all-out effort to develop an AIDS vaccine. The organization says that Clinton's program lacks the energy and commitment of President John F. Kennedy's pledge to put a man on the moon in 10 years.
"Unfortunately, Clinton is no Jack Kennedy - his words are more often puffery than policy," said Sam Avrett, AVAC executive director.
The group has just released an extensive report on the U.S. AIDS vaccine research effort. As its title suggests - "9 Years and Counting" - the report finds that the effort is falling short.
Much of the criticism is levelled at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which a year after announcing its creation has yet to name a director for the new interagency Vaccine Research Center. The report also criticized NIH leadership for failing to coordinate federal AIDS research.
AVAC also blasts pharmaceutical giant SmithKline Beecham for failing to have an ongoing AIDS vaccine program. Words of praise are reserved for the efforts of Pasteur Merieux Connaught and Merck.
Also praised is the rapid funding of research projects by the David Baltimore's independent AIDS Vaccine Research Committee and "the results-oriented research effort at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research."
No mention whatever is made of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The 54-page AVAC report makes several specific recommendations:
* President Clinton should take on a direct, personal role in urging the pharmaceutical industry to action and in taking executive and legislative actions to address industry concerns.
* The pharmaceutical industry "must shoulder responsibility for HIV vaccine research and development."
* The director of the NIH should manage the AIDS vaccine effort and make annual progress reports to the president and to Congress.
* The NIH and NIAID directors should set and enforce clearer goals and better coordinate HIV vaccine research and development.
* Many simultaneous, comparative studies should be undertaken to identify vaccine concepts and products likely to elicit potentially protective immune responses.
* An international HIV vaccine purchase fund should be established to encourage industry and to assure wider access when a vaccine becomes available.
* Affected communities "must be more vocal on the ethical implications of moving forward and/or not moving forward on HIV vaccine development."
Copies of the AVAC report may be obtained from the organization at P.O. Box 40190, San Francisco, California 94140-0190.
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