Reuters (12/10/97); Bunce, Matthew
On the sidelines of the 10th International Conference on Sexually Transmitted Diseases
and AIDS in Africa, UNAIDS director Peter Piot explained that the search for a
viable HIV/AIDS vaccine has been inhibited by concerns of lawsuits if the
vaccines do not work and by fears of poor investment returns from developing
nations. In a Reuters interview, senior World Bank economist Mead Over, however, noted
that one incentive for vaccine "hunters" could be a contingent loan, whereby a
country is prohibited from reneging on a deal. Meanwhile, UNAIDS released details of its
three-year HIV Drug Access Initiative to provide expensive antiretroviral treatments to
the developing nations of Vietnam, Chile, the Ivory Coast, and Uganda: the program depends
on long-term price reductions by pharmaceutical firms for antiretroviral treatments as
well as for drugs to treat other illnesses like tuberculosis, and relies upon patient
adherence to the strict treatment protocols. French President Jacques Chirac and UNAIDS
are also backing a proposal to introduce antiretrovirals with the help of regional and
international AIDS solidarity funds, which may be presented to the Group of Eight nations
when they meet in mid-1998.
The CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention makes available this information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD