New hope for Aids vaccine
Most of the world cannot afford Aids treatments
A US biotechnology company has been giving details of a vaccine against Aids, which it hopes could be available by 2005, to delegates attending the International Aids Conference in Barcelona.
Q&A: Potential HIV vaccine - click here.
The head of VaxGen, Donald Francis, told the meeting the vaccine worked on chimpanzees and said he was optimistic it would also work on humans.
Mr Francis said the results of trials on humans would be available next year.
 I think we will get protection [from the virus], but I don't know what level we'll get  |
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Donald Francis,
VaxGen |
The six-day conference organised by the United Nations agency UNAids, and attended by 15,000 delegates, will hear calls for the richer countries to do more to help the developing world to tackle the disease.
Licence conditions
"I think we will get protection [from the virus], but I don't know what level we'll get," Mr Francis said.
"If all goes well, [the vaccine] could be available by the end of 2004 or early 2005."
Campaigners have given a cautious welcome to VaxGen's announcement, but say it is necessary to wait for the analysis of clinical trials.
We would hope to use it as part of immunisation for every child |
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Seth Berkley, IAVI president [and board member of the Alan Guttmacher Institute --askel]
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Most of these are still in the early stages, but VaxGen says work on its product is nearing completion.
It is the only firm testing its products on humans in an end-stage trial.
But to be granted a licence it will have to show the vaccine is effective in at least one-third of patients.
The umbrella body promoting research, the International Aids Vaccine Initiative, is warning that preparations need to begin now for the distribution of a successful vaccine to the countries most in need.
Most importantly, it must be made affordable.
Dr Seth Berkley, president of the IAVI, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "One of the critical things is that, because we don't have a perfect animal model or know exactly what's needed for protection, the only way to figure this out is by testing it on large numbers of humans.
If the vaccine is effective then we will have a cause for celebration, but even then it will not be the end of the epidemic |
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Jose Esparza,
UNAids |
"The problem is that, if this vaccine is efficacious, we really have not prepared for it yet.
He said vaccination would initially be targeted at high risk groups such as intravenous drug users and commercial sex workers.
But he said it was hoped one day that a vaccine would be available for everyone.
"We would hope to use it as part of immunisation for every child so we can put an end to this terrible disease."
'Crystal ball'
Jose Esparza, co-ordinator of the UNAids HIV vaccine initiative in Geneva said the company's announcement was "premature", although he praised their commitment to developing a vaccine.
He added: "No one can predict when a vaccine will be ready, no one has a crystal ball, but we do have the equivalent of a crystal ball of sorts in the clinical trials.
"If the vaccine is effective then we will have a cause for celebration, but even then it will not be the end of the epidemic."
But he said even if the vaccine was 40% to 50% effective it would be "significant". result."
Blocking out HIV
The conference also heard about a drug which tests have shown cuts the levels of HIV in patients by stopping it entering blood cells.
The injectable T-20 drug, made by Roche Holding AG of Switzerland and US biotech firm Trimeris Inc is due to go on to the market early next year.
It is said to offer hope to patients with serious drug resistance problems.
Existing treatments attack HIV only after it has entered cells.
But a US study presented to the conference showed that three in four young gay and bisexual men infected with Aids in major American cities were unaware they were carrying the virus.
