European Union and EDCTP strategy in the global context: recommendations for preventive HIV/AIDS vaccines research.

The European Commission (EC) has strong commitments and recognises the need to continue to ensure that HIV/AIDS research efforts receive global attention. The EC is facing this challenge in a global context and has made substantial investments together with European Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP) to formulate a program for the accomplishment of a scientific strategic plan promoting the European/African HIV vaccine development approach. The EC and EDCTP has convened a number of meetings by experts in basic and clinical virology, immunology, epidemiology, as well as industrial and regulatory representatives.

Past, present and future of HIV vaccine trials in developing countries.

A safe, effective and accessible preventive vaccine is our best long-term hope for the control of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The first phase I trial of an HIV vaccine was conducted in the US in 1987. Since then, >30 candidate vaccines have been tested in over 60 phase I/II clinical trials, involving >8000 healthy human volunteers.