The National Institutes of Health announced the formation of the international HIV Prevention Trials Network to develop and test promising non-vaccine strategies to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The global initiative will explore alternative measures, besides AIDS vaccines, that may be able to block or reduce infection with HIV. The network will constitute NIH's largest comprehensive multicenter network dedicated to this task, comprising core operational, data and laboratory centers, as well as research sites located worldwide in Africa (Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe), Asia (China, India and Thailand), Europe (Russia), South America (Peru) and the United States.
The National Institutes of Health announced the formation of the international HIV Prevention Trials Network to develop and test promising non-vaccine strategies to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The global initiative will explore alternative measures, besides AIDS vaccines, that may be able to block or reduce infection with HIV. The network will constitute NIH's largest comprehensive multicenter network dedicated to this task, comprising core operational, data and laboratory centers, as well as research sites located worldwide in Africa (Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe), Asia (China, India and Thailand), Europe (Russia), South America (Peru) and the United States.
"We must investigate all potential strategies to stop HIV transmission, including microbicides and other biomedical and behavioral interventions," said Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "The HPTN strengthens our capability to discover new and better measures to protect people, especially children and women, from HIV infection."
The NIH also announced four public-private partnerships intended to accelerate development of promising HIV/AIDS vaccines for use around the world. The new partnerships, called HIV vaccine design and development teams, will tap the different skills and talents of private industry and academic research centers, and provide incentive to move HIV/AIDS vaccine candidates out of the laboratory and into human testing. NIAID has committed to spending approximately $70 million over the next five years on the four development team contracts that have been awarded to Advanced Bioscience Laboratories Inc., Kensington, MD; Chiron Corp., Emeryville, CA; University of New South Wales, Australia; and Wyeth Lederle Vaccines and Nutrition, Pearl River, NY.
"Many vaccines in use today resulted from both government-sponsored and private research," said Fauci. "The HVDDT program is a unique addition to this model that encourages the private sector to increase their AIDS vaccine efforts while allowing NIAID to work closely with its partners throughout the development process."
HVDDT awards are incentive-based contracts aimed at vaccine candidates in the middle of the development pipeline - those not yet in clinical testing. Applicants were required to describe a clear development plan, including timelines to indicate when different phases would be completed. Funding will be provided in increments as these preset milestones are reached. PR
Fake Weight Loss Drugs: Growing Threat to Consumer Health
October 25th 2024In this episode of the Pharmaceutical Executive podcast, UpScriptHealth's Peter Ax, Founder and CEO, and George Jones, Chief Operations Officer, discuss the issue of counterfeit weight loss drugs, the potential health risks associated with them, increasing access to legitimate weight loss medications and more.
The Transformative Role of Medical Information in Customer Engagement
October 3rd 2024Stacey Fung, Head of Global Medical Information at Gilead Lifesciences, delves into the evolving role of Medical Information (MI) in the pharmaceutical industry. Covering key topics like patient engagement through omnichannel strategies, combating misinformation, and leveraging AI to enhance medical inquiries, the conversation with Stacey highlights MI's critical role in ensuring patient safety and supporting drug development. She also shares her professional journey and tidbits for early career professionals on professional development.
Recent Developments in Pharmaceutical Validation
November 1st 2024Explore the latest pharmaceutical validation developments with industry experts from Barry-Wehmiller Design Group, Kneat Solutions, and No Deviation. You’ll gain valuable data-driven insights and discover emerging trends from the State of Validation 2024 industry report that are shaping the validation landscape.