A US recession could cut AIDS funding and impede the drive to
find a vaccine for the disease, a senior official with a group
spearheading vaccine research said.
The United States is the centre of AIDS vaccine research.
Its government contributed $659 million, or 69% of the funds
earmarked for research in 2007, according to data released at a
global AIDS vaccine conference in Cape Town.
But a credit crunch has raised fears that the world's richest
economy could be headed for recession, prompting the US government
and private sector to cut funding to a broad range of programmes,
including AIDS research.
"If there is a downturn in the economy it's going to potentially
have a negative impact on funding for science in general and HIV
vaccine research in particular," Alan Bernstein, executive director
of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, told Reuters at the
conference.
The conference - a gathering of many of the top names in HIV
research - follows a year that saw scientists drop plans for
widespread human testing of the two most promising vaccine
prototypes due to safety concerns.
The AIDS virus infects an estimated 33 million people globally and
has killed between 23 and 25 million since it was identified in the
1980s.
Cocktails of anti-retroviral drugs can control the virus, but
there is no cure.
The two stalled vaccines, one developed by drug giant Merck and the
other by US government researchers, both aimed to fight AIDS by
jump-starting T-cells to tackle the virus and stop or slow the
progress of HIV-related disease.
Early results from a large human trial of the Merck product were
discouraging, and data showed the vaccine may have left some people
more prone to HIV infection - halting the tests and prompting some
scientists to reconsider the model.
Although disappointing to scientists, the results have not led to a
complete halt in vaccine testing.
Two South African-developed vaccines will be tested early next year
to see if they are safe for further human trials as part of a joint
effort between South African and US researchers.
South Africa has the largest HIV/AIDS caseload in Africa.
Bernstein said it was crucial that large pharmaceutical companies
invest more in the vaccine research.
"I start from the strong belief that we will not have a vaccine
without significant industry engagement," Bernstein said.
