Global efforts toward AIDS vaccine continue to fall short, according to report.

2004 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Global efforts to develop a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS have intensified over the past few years, yet they continue to fall short of what is likely to be needed to achieve success, according to a new report by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

IAVI's report, Scientific Blueprint 2004: Accelerating Global Efforts in AIDS Vaccine Research and Development, was released at the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

"The world is inching toward a vaccine, when we should be making strides," said Dr. Seth Berkley, MD, president and chief executive officer of IAVI. "The single biggest obstacle is that vaccine development is not a top scientific, political, and economic priority."

IAVI's Blueprint calls for a doubling of current spending to develop an AIDS vaccine, which at $650 million annually represents less than 1% of what the world spends on health product research and development.

More money would help broaden the diversity of vaccine approaches in testing. More than 30 vaccine candidates are in human clinical trials in 19 countries - a record number. However, these candidates are narrowly focused on one hypothesis for how a vaccine might confer protection.

"Too many scientists are working on the same idea," said Dr. Wayne Koff, IAVI's ...