India begins clinical trial of AIDS vaccine

PTI - New Delhi

India began its first human clinical trial of an investigational vaccine designed to prevent HIV-AIDS, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said here.

‘‘The trial is being conducted by a partnership between the govenment and Interational AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) in Pune,” he said.

The vaccine is being tested on 30 volunteers in the first phase of the trial, Ramadoss said.

Ganguly said it would take one year to compelete the phase-i trials and another six months for its evaluation.

‘‘The trials would ensure that India does not lag behind the rest of the world in AIDS vaccine area. The vaccine would be available in india at the same time as the rest of the world,’’ he said adding the government would ensure that it is available at an affordable price to the people.

Lauding India’s political commitment in fighting HIV/AIDS, Dr Seth Berkley, president of IAVI, said, ‘‘Political commitment in india has been stronger than in any part of the world. India can be a model for the rest of the world.’’

Participation of India, with its extraordinary scientific capability and growing pharma and biotech sectors, was essential for global effort to fight HIV/AIDS, he said.

The actual work on the vaccine candidate on which trials has begun had started in 2002 through a partnership between NACO, ICMR and IAVI was set up in 2000, according to Ramadoss. There would not be any let up in treatment and care and support aspects in country’s response to HIV/AIDS though the government would focus more on prevention, he said.

For trials of this vaccine candidate, all regulatory steps were taken and clearances including from the Drug Controller General of India and the genetic engineering and approval committee of the environment ministry, Ganguly said.