Economics of AIDS Vaccines  

Developing countries urgently need an AIDS vaccine to improve the effectiveness of their AIDS prevention programs. However, global spending on AIDS vaccine R&D is pitifully small—only $300-600 million/year, and focused on the strains of the virus and the eventual market in North America and Western Europe. A number of institutions, including the World Bank and the European Commission—have been searching for new mechanisms and market incentives that would raise levels of private R&D and speed development of an AIDS vaccine that would be effective and affordable in developing countries. An issues paper for the World Bank and reports from two of five recent or future consultations are featured here, as well as links to IAVI and other relevant websites.

This series of papers on "Accelerating an AIDS Vaccine for Developing Countries: Issues and Options for the World Bank" are available in PDF.  You may view them by downloading Adobe Acrobat viewer.

  

The Economics of AIDS Vaccines Online Conference is being held from April-June 2000 on the IAEN Web site.  Sponsored by IAVI.

 

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•   Accelerating an AIDS vaccine for developing countries: Recommendations for the World Bank. [86 kb document/PDF]  May, 2000. 
  This paper reviews the rationale, process, and recommendations to management of the Bank's institution-wide AIDS Vaccine Task Force for how the Bank can accelerate an AIDS vaccine that is effective and affordable in developing countries. It is based on the results of 18 months of background work and consultations with internal and external partners. The background for these recommendations is included in the Issues Paper and the reports on consultations listed below.

Papers

• Issues Paper: "Accelerating an AIDS Vaccine for Developing Countries:  Issues and Options for the World Bank", World Bank AIDS Vaccine Task Force, July 1999.

  This paper sets out the economic rationale for World Bank involvement and reviews existing and potential instruments for the World Bank to affect the incentives for R&D for an AIDS vaccine that is effective and affordable in developing countries. It is a background paper used extensively in consultations within and outside the World Bank by the internal AIDS Vaccine Task Force."
  (Editorial Note: The opinions expressed in this issues paper are those of the authors and reflect the findings and deliberations of the World Bank's AIDS Vaccine Task Force.  The judgments expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank's Board of Directors or the governments they represent. The paper is continually updated based upon consultations that the AIDS Vaccine Task Force holds with shareholders and developing country clients.  We will strive to maintain the most recent version at this web site.)

• Brasilia, Brazil, September 14, 1999. The Ministry of Health of Brazil and the World Bank’s AIDS Vaccine Task Force convened a meeting to share the Task Force’s findings regarding the mechanisms available to the Bank to accelerate the development of an AIDS vaccine and to solicit the views of Brazilian policymakers, scientists and NGOs on these issues.

• India, August 18, 1999.  Consultative meeting on Accelerating the development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine for developing countries: Issues and options for the World Bank

• Midrand, South Africa, July 27, 1999. This is a report on a meeting which was hosted by the South African Medical Research Council.

• Bangkok, May 24, 1999. This is a report on a consultative meeting with policymakers in Thailand on what the World Bank can do to accelerate an AIDS vaccine from Thailand’s perspective. Bangkok is the site of the only ongoing Phase III efficacy trial of an AIDS vaccine in a developing country.

• Paris, April 13, 1999. This is a report on a consultative meeting with representatives of the G7 and key developing countries, held prior to the G8 meeting in Cologne, Germany.  

Other Information

• On August 24 the World Bank described the activities of the Bank's AIDS Vaccine Task Force in an article published on it's internal web newspaper, "Today". The article draws on the consultative meeting reports mentioned above. 

• International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.  IAVI is a "non-profit scientific organization established in 1996 to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world."

• UNAIDS allows you to do a site search for information on the economics of AIDS vaccines.

• Article by Jeffrey Sachs in the August 14 edition of The Economist.  

• Bill Gates has pledged to donate $6 billion to accelerate the development of AIDS vaccines.  You must register first, but you can view an article in the Wall Street Journal's August 23, 1999 edition.