AIDS vaccine to benefit poor first - expert

The likelihood of discovering a vaccine for HIV/AIDS is growing, the non-profit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has said. The founder of IAVI, Dr Seth Berkley, said in a recent statement that in the event of finding a suitable vaccine, developing nations would be among the first to benefit. Berkley said: "If you look at the history of vaccines, the history has been that the vaccine is made for the north, it gets licensed, and then 10, 15, 20 years later it trickles down to the developing world — sometimes never." Through IAVI, Berkley hopes to create a "new paradigm — simultaneous availability of the vaccine in the north and south". Despite manufacturers being reluctant to pursue a drug that had no certain financial rewards, Berkley called for the establishment of manufacturing plants, and distribution and purchasing systems to achieve "simultaneous availability".