Russia Could Develop HIV/AIDS Vaccine Within 10 To 15 Years, Health Ministry Official Says

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 15 Jul 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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Russia could develop an HIV/AIDS vaccine within the next 10 to 15 years, Alexander Goliusov, HIV/AIDS controller for the country's consumer rights regulator, said Thursday during a video teleconference between Moscow and New Delhi, RIA Novosti reports. In addition, B.S. Banerji of the HIV/AIDS department at India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that Indian scientists could develop a vaccine within a similar timeframe.

According to Goliusov, the Russian government has allocated more than one billion Russian rubles, or about $42.7 million, for HIV/AIDS vaccine development. In addition, three research centers in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Novosibirsk have been incorporated into a vaccine development team, and study participants in St. Petersburg have been selected, Goliusov said. He added that the country has vaccine candidates "but there is still a lot of work to do."

Marina Shevyreva -- deputy head of human well-being, science and research at Russia's Ministry of Health and Social Development -- said the timeframes provided by the consumer rights regulator to develop a vaccine coincide with the health ministry's estimates (RIA Novosti, 7/10).

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