The initiative was prompted by concerns that international efforts to develop a vaccine will result in a product not suitable for the HIV subtype prevalent in southern Africa, clade C. Their case is illustrated by the canarypox vaccine being used in the Ugandan trial which targets clade B—the predominant subtype found in the US and Europe. SAAVI also contends that a nationally manufactured vaccine will circumvent the potential affordability and accessibility problems associated with foreign-made alternatives.
Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases which is sponsoring the Ugandan trial, supports South Africa's attempt to develop their own vaccine, but disagrees that cross-clade reactivity does not occur. "Examination of cytolytic T cells from people vaccinated with a B clade epitope, as well as people infected with a variety of different clades, shows that there is a degree of cross-reactivity," Fauci explains. He concedes, however, that cross-clade reactivity is not guaranteed. "If it turns out [in the Ugandan trial] that there is no cross-reactivity...that is also important information which will direct future vaccine development." He adds that the trial will also be vital to testing and building the country's infrastructure for future, full-scale vaccine trials.
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