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IAVI’s Public Policy and Advocacy Programme analyzes and advocates for policies to accelerate vaccine R&D and ensure rapid global access to a future AIDS vaccine. Our policy research covers a wide range of topics, making the case for investment in AIDS vaccine research and development, creating an enabling policy environment in which this work can take place, and ensuring access to AIDS vaccines once they become available, IAVI’s advocacy program builds on our policy analysis to promote engagement and awareness by political, policy, business, and scientific leaders in support of AIDS vaccines.
Globally, IAVI's advocacy efforts have focused on the G8 process, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly meetings on AIDS, the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and regional and global AIDS conferences. IAVI also supports the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) trilateral agreement as a vehicle for stimulating and strengthening cooperation in vaccine development among countries with growing research, development and manufacturing capabilities.
In India, IAVI actively engages policy makers, parliamentarians, the pharmaceutical and vaccine industry and civil society to garner support for research and development efforts on both national and global levels.
Three policy studies were undertaken recently to evaluate key issues related to AIDS vaccine research and development. These studies were presented at the Policy Workshop on AIDS Vaccine Research in India: Prospects and Challenges, held on April 11, 2007 in New Delhi. Additional information on these research studies and other policy projects in India is provided below.
Recent policy initiatives:
Accelerating AIDS Vaccine R&D in India: An Assessment of Obstacles and Possible Solutions
Policy makers, scientists, private companies and advocates agree that finding an AIDS vaccine requires a more aggressive approach. Although India has been a global leader in pediatric vaccine production, its involvement in AIDS vaccine research and development has been limited. This is particularly true in the private sector where not a single company is currently involved in AIDS vaccine R&D. IAVI interviewed experts in the fields of vaccines, public health policy and HIV/AIDS to discuss the key market and policy challenges to private and public sector engagement in AIDS vaccine R&D in India, and to identify policy measures that could be put in place to stimulate additional activities. The Policy Research Working Paper is available at http://www.iavi.org/Accelerating_India_Research
Forecasting Demand for Preventive HIV Vaccines in India
Demand forecasts for products still in an early stage of development, including an HIV vaccine, can provide a valuable decision-making tool for policy makers and private industry. IAVI consulted policy-makers and policy influencers in India to determine (i) how India might adopt and implement an HIV vaccine, and how both public and how both public and private markets might react to an HIV vaccine with given characteristics; (ii) which target groups might receive the vaccine; and (iii) how quickly the vaccine might be made available. On the basis of these interview findings, a model was developed to generate baseline forecasts and to explore the effects of varying epidemiological, regulatory and infrastructural assumptions on demand projections. The approach and the results provide valuable information to both public- and private-sector decision-makers in considering the potential market for HIV vaccines in India. This Policy Research Working Paper is available at http://www.iavi.org/India_Demand_Forecast.
Estimating the Impact of an AIDS Vaccine in Developing Countries
An AIDS vaccine is considered to be one of the best hopes to end the spread of HIV. In conjunction with the Futures Institute, IAVI has modeled the potential impact that a vaccine could have on the global epidemic. Our research has examined the effect of a potential first generation preventive AIDS, and how that impact would change if existing prevention programs and antiretroviral treatments (ARTs) are significantly expanded while a vaccine is still being developed. This work has shown that a 50% efficacious vaccine given to just 30% of the population could reduce the number of new HIV infections in the developing world by more than half over the course of 15 years. The Policy Research Working Paper is available at http://www.iavi.org/impact_model.
The Introduction of New Health Technologies in India
India’s healthcare system faces challenges that may impede the introduction of new health technologies. An understanding of prior experience in the adoption and implementation of health technologies can help to design systems and processes to ensure rapid access to and effective uptake of AIDS vaccines in India, once they become available. This study reviews several health technologies previously introduced in India: hepatitis B vaccine, the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), no scalpel vasectomy (NSV), voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), and antiretroviral treatment (ART), to draw lessons and identify steps that can be taken now to ensure broad and effective access to AIDS vaccines in the future. The detailed report can be downloaded at http://www.iavi.org/India_health_tech.
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