HIV and AIDS: Vaccine

Lord Walton of Detchant Excerpts
Monday 1st December 2014

(9 years, 5 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Baroness Northover Portrait Baroness Northover
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My noble friend rightly highlights the link between HIV and TB. The IAVI has developed new approaches to HIV vaccine research by focusing on the needs of developing countries and early-stage research. The TB Alliance has four combinations of drugs in late-stage development, and will soon launch a trial of a combination of drugs that are suitable for those who are co-infected with both diseases.

Lord Walton of Detchant Portrait Lord Walton of Detchant (CB)
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My Lords, does the noble Baroness accept that the major problem in identifying and preparing a vaccine against HIV is that the very term “HIV” stands for “human immunodeficiency virus”, and the consequence is that the virus itself disables the immune system to a very considerable degree? Since the discovery of a vaccine depends on stimulating the immune system to produce a vaccine, this is an exceptionally difficult and challenging scientific problem.

Baroness Northover Portrait Baroness Northover
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The noble Lord is absolutely spot on.