Sibal gets going on AIDS vaccine

June 3, 2004

He Wants his ministry, health and biotech department to join hands

for selection and development of AIDS vaccine in India

Sibal, who was included in the group that planned the draft

legislation on HIV, aims to form an inter-ministerial committee,

including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Department

of Biotechnology, for streamlining the research on development of

AIDS vaccine in India. His plan includes collaboration in vaccine

development and selection of just one vaccine for research.

Sibal has sought a report on the status of the vaccine and has even

met senior Health officials and those from the Biotechnology

department regarding the same. ``Currently both ministries are busy

in developing their own AIDS vaccine. But I believe the best thing

would be to pool in the resources and come up with one vaccine which

has more chances of success in the clinical stages,'' said Sibal.

The decision might also be relevant following the deferring of the

much-hyped clinical trials on humans by the Health Ministry and

International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). While officials are

tight-lipped about the reason, sources say the trials may not begin

as per schedule.

Sibal told The Indian Express this step will ensure there is no

setback in case a vaccine fails. ``We have to begin with choosing

the best and then, if that fails we can go to the next.''

Confirming that research collaboration is in the offing, Health

Secretary J.V.R. Prasada Rao said the two ministries were working

out a possibility of a combined research agenda. ``Officials of the

Department of Biotechnology and ICMR are working on a concept paper.

We are waiting for it and can take a decision only after it comes

out,'' said Rao.

While Sibal's ministry is developing a `candidate vaccine' at AIIMS

under the National Jai Vigyan Science & Technology Mission

(Biotechnology Dept), the Indian Council of Medical Research, the

Health Ministry, the IAVI and NACO are working on another vaccine,

research on which started in 1996. The vaccine is undergoing

preclinical toxicological studies. The candidate vaccine is based on

plasmid DNA and it too is ready for preclinical toxicological

studies.

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