Why we don't have an HIV vaccine, and how we can develop one.
Confronted with the recent high-profile failures of several clinical trials of promising candidate vaccines against HIV, many scientists have all but given up hope of producing a human-ready vaccine within the next decade. In this review I contend that although the scientific obstacles remain formidable, the economic challenges are just as real. The groundwork will be laid for a major scientific breakthrough in vaccine development only when there are new contractual structures that enhance private incentives for vaccine development; when we have clearly specified the rights to the profitable North American market; when we have established a system of liability protection for vaccine side effects; and when our clinical trials also test the behavioral consequences of vaccination.
Harris
Jeffrey E
JE
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Blackstone Valley Community Health Care in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA. jeffrey@mit.edu
D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000191:economics; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000191:economics; D004345:Drug Industry; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D012109:Research Support as Topic
D016915:AIDS Vaccines