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Harper, Gates Announce Millions for HIV Vaccine Research Initiative

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 15:00 CST

By ALEXANDER PANETTA

OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates announced that Canada will host a new HIV vaccine research centre as part of a multimillion-dollar initiative to combat the deadly virus.

Harper says his government is committing up to $111 million to a new fund called the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, while the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged another $28 million.

The money will help build a research facility and support Canadian researchers and institutions to work with partners around the world on a range of research initiatives to develop a "safe, affordable" HIV vaccine.

"There is no doubt - the development of an effective HIV vaccine is one of the greatest scientific challenges of our time," Harper said.

"But Canada is up to the task, because we are a global leader. Through today's initiative Canada, in partnership with the Gates foundation, will provide the resources necessary to realize this worthy goal - thus sparing millions of people from the horrific reality of HIV/AIDS."

Gates says no single government or group can take on the task of finding solutions to the problem of AIDS alone; he says co-ordination and co-operation are critical.

He says most scientists believe it will take 10 years to develop a vaccine and he adds that every year saved in its delivery saves millions of lives.

In the meantime, Gates said that existing treatments are reaching more people every year but that the trend still isn't keeping up with the rate of new infections.

"The long-term solution is a vaccine," Gates said.

"Scientists are in strong agreement that this will be one of the toughest vaccines ever to create.

"I'm optimistic that we will get a vaccine. I know that today's announcement will bring a lot of brilliant minds - including a lot of Canadian minds - to bear on this most important problem."

It was not immediately clear when the new HIV facility would open, or where it would be built.

Government spokespeople said the facility would bring together members of the scientific community, the private sector, and government officials.

They hinted strongly that Tuesday's announcement was the one they had famously planned to make - then cancelled - during the global AIDS conference in Toronto last year.

Harper had been hammered by delegates for not attending last summer's conference.

He responded by calling the event too "politicized," then cancelled a planned announcement by Health Minister Tony Clement.

Government officials confirmed that they had been involved in "negotiations" with Gates leading up to the conference.

They also said the funding announced Tuesday involved additional money that was separate from a $120 million contribution that the Harper government promised in December to the global AIDS fight.

Source: Canadian Press

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