Researchers say US vaccine too expensive

The South African HIV/AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) on Friday put to rest rumours that South Africa is eager to buy an American HIV/AIDS vaccine. SAAVI said it would be too costly for the government to purchase the vaccine, despite it having already completed phase-3 human trials. "To make the vaccine compatible with the HIV subtype prevalent to South Africa would be equivalent to starting over again," SAAVI head of media and communications, Michelle Galloway, told the UN news service PlusNews. Galloway stressed that the vaccine was only effective on the B-strand of the virus, the subtype most common in the US. If the vaccine were to be used locally, it would have to be adapted at great cost for the local C-strand. "We are not aware of any negotiations between the government and the US," Galloway added.