International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Ugandan Government Agree to Speed Development of Three Potential Vaccines

The Ugandan government and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative agreed Thursday to "accelerate" the development of three potential AIDS vaccines, Reuters Health reports. Under the agreement, IAVI will work with the Uganda Virus Research Institute to evaluate new AIDS vaccines, help Ugandan scientists "play an active part in vaccine research and development" and help "strengthen" Uganda's clinical trial infrastructure to prepare for Phase II/III trials for new vaccines. Two of the vaccines are currently undergoing testing, while the third, an oral vaccine, is planned for Phase I clinical trials in the United States and Uganda. All three vaccines target HIV subtype A, the most common HIV strain in East Africa. The Uganda Virus Research Institute is creating a special AIDS Vaccine Trial Unit to research and monitor these and other vaccine efforts (Reuters Health, 8/31).