| Author (Person) | Carstens, Karen |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.40, 27.11.03, p24 |
| Publication Date | 27/11/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
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Date: 27/11/03 The EU is increasing its research funding to battle AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. Karen Carstens reports THE European Union has stepped up its AIDS research funding in the developing world. While the EU has agreed to contribute some €60 million towards the €4 billion Global Health Fund, this does not fund research and development activities. To fill the gap, a separate EU initiative called the Europe-Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) allocates €600 million to create new medicines and vaccines against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. "From FP5 to FP6 we have almost quadrupled the budget for these three diseases," said one DG Research official, referring to the European Commission's 1998-2002 Fifth and 2002-2006 Sixth Framework Programmes. EDCTP will initially focus exclusively on Africa. "AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are responsible for 90% of deaths in Africa, but AIDS drugs are too expensive, malaria drugs are losing their effectiveness [due to the disease's growing resistance] and TB treatment takes too long," said a Commission spokesman. "So more research is needed to bridge that gap, and, in particular, the costly clinical trials step." The EDCTP will get €200 million in EU funds, along with another €200 million from member states and €200 million from industry, charities and private research organizations, for a total budget of €600 million over a five-year period ending in 2007. It is set to continue, however, for at least another decade. Moreover, an additional €200 million will be donated via the Commission's FP6 programme for "normal calls for research proposals" which target HIV/AIDS, the DG Research official explained, adding that some six projects are due to begin early next year. The EDCTP was called into being two years ago by EU member states, plus Norway, as part of the Commission's 2001 "Framework for Action", which focuses on R&D and trade and development policies. It brings together national clinical research activities and programmes for the first time under the first concrete application of Article 169 of the EC Treaty, which allows EU-level participation in member states' joint national research and development programmes. A separate legal entity to administer the programme has been established, with a secretariat based in the Netherlands. The initiative, which has already received the backing of the European Parliament and Council of Ministers is the largest programme on clinical trials ever targeted to Africa. "We now need to ensure that the real beneficiaries of this excellent programme are those people in real need, the poor and the dispossessed in developing countries whose social circumstances can often deny them access to essential drugs," said Scottish MEP Ian Hudghton, a member of the European Parliament's budgets committee. "We should bear in mind that two-thirds of the funding for this programme comes from public money - we need safeguards to ensure that the results of this research benefit those in real need rather than the wealthy pharmaceutical companies." According to the Commission, 19,000 lives are lost every day to HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. The three diseases cause more than five million deaths every year, with 95% of these in the developing world. Meanwhile, in a separate US-backed study, South Africa's first human trial of an HIV vaccine began earlier this month. The new vaccine is being tested for safety and its effects on the human immune system in 48 volunteers in South Africa and the US. Significantly, the vaccine is the first to target the strain of HIV that is devastating South Africa, as well as India and other countries. South Africa has a greater number of AIDS cases than any other nation and the subtype C HIV-1 is the cause of most of them. The predominant subtype affecting the western world is subtype B, for which there are a number of vaccine trials under way. The EU is increasing its research funding to battle AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. |
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| Subject Categories | Health, Politics and International Relations |
| Countries / Regions | Africa |
