WASHINGTON, DC, 24 February 2000—Seth Berkley, MD, president of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), issued the following statement after Senator John F. Kerry introduced the Vaccines for the New Millennium Act:

“An affordable AIDS vaccine is the world’s only hope for ending this terrible pandemic.  Yet the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, which hold most of the world’s vaccine development expertise, have been reluctant to invest in AIDS, malaria and TB vaccines.  In the case of AIDS, this is in large part because more than 95% of new HIV infections occur in developing countries, where the need for an AIDS vaccine is the greatest but the ability to pay is the least. 

“Senator Kerry’s bill would help break the logjam.  The Vaccines for the New Millennium Act recognizes that an affordable AIDS vaccine for the world’s poorest countries is an international public good that isn’t likely to happen without the creation of innovative public-private partnerships.

“This bill addresses both the ‘push’ and the ‘pull’ mechanisms that are urgently needed to engage the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, including tax credits and a purchase fund.  These measures will unleash the creativity of the private sector now, while ensuring that successful vaccines are globally accessible in the future.

“We are also gratified that under this legislation, the U.S. government would join the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as a major supporter of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Under our “social venture capital” approach, we have already launched three cutting-edge AIDS vaccine candidates into the product development pipeline in collaboration with private industry. In each case, we have secured rights to ensure that a successful vaccine will be made available in developing countries at a reasonable price.

“Since its discovery nearly two decades ago, HIV has proven itself a wily and tenacious adversary. Humankind must summon all its creative energy to defeat it.  Our goal is nothing less than to end AIDS for all time.  With the enactment of the Kerry bill, we will be one step closer to the time when AIDS is a distant and haunting memory.”

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative is an international non-profit scientific organization founded in 1996 whose mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world.  IAVI's work focuses on three areas: accelerating scientific progress, mobilizing support through advocacy and education, and encouraging industrial involvement in AIDS vaccine development.   In addition to governments, its major supporters include the World Bank and the Gates, Rockefeller, Sloan and Starr Foundations.

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