Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.

——————————————————————————————

July 30, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

“S. African AIDS Vaccine Research Body Calls for Doubling of Budget”

BBC Worldwide Monitoring (www.monitor.bbc.co.uk) (07/30/03)

Dr. Tim Tucker, director of the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative

(SAAVI) says that it would cost 3 billion to 4 billion rand to create a mass production facility in South Africa for an AIDS vaccine.  SAAVI is investigating several vaccine technologies, including a DNA candidate-vaccine in animal toxicity and an MVA candidate now in manufacturing.  Tucker believes that a successful vaccine will be ready in seven to 10 years, though SAAVI might not be its developer.  Sites must be prepared for phase three clinical trials, and business plans for SAAVI products and a national plan for a vaccine program rollout must be developed.  SAAVI gets money from the national departments of health and of science and technology, as well as Eskom, the European Union, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and international organizations.