[Pharm-policy] Today's annoucement by Gore on HIV/AIDS initiative

[James Love]

Here is today's announcement by Vice President Gore regarding HIV/AIDS
and other infectious diseases.  A few comments:

a.  Nice statements regarding how serious is the public health crisis

b.  Not much money, given the serious nature of the problem.

c.  Lots of issues not addressed in the press release.  

 Jamie


January 10, 2000

VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE UNVEILS NEW $150 MILLION INITIATIVE TO
COMBAT THE SPREAD OF AIDS AND CONTRIBUTE TO INTERNATIONAL
INFECTIOUS DISEASE PREVENTION EFFORTS 

                              THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Vice President
_______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                        Contact:
Monday, January 10, 2000                     (202) 456-7035


VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE UNVEILS NEW $150 MILLION INITIATIVE TO
COMBAT THE SPREAD OF AIDS AND CONTRIBUTE TO INTERNATIONAL
INFECTIOUS DISEASE PREVENTION EFFORTS

New York, NY -- Today, in a speech before the United Nations,
Vice President Al Gore will announce that the Administration's FY
2001 budget include a new $150 million investment to assist
efforts to combat the international AIDS pandemic and contribute
to international infectious disease prevention efforts.  This new
initiative provides $100 million for preventing and treating HIV
and AIDS in Africa, Asia, and other regions of the world --
double last year's increase.

It also dedicates $50 million for purchasing vaccines against
other diseases that ravage poor nations, including hepatitis B,
certain forms of meningitis and yellow fever, helping to save
millions of children. Purchasing existing vaccines is the first
step toward accelerating the development and delivery of vaccines
for AIDS, malaria, TB, and other diseases disproportionately
affecting the developing world.  This investment is part of a
comprehensive plan for action that will meet the Administration's
commitment in this area, as described in the President's
September speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

"AIDS and other infectious diseases are the largest catastrophes
in the history of modern medicine," Vice President Gore said. 
"We hope this initiative will provide relief and hope to the
millions of children and families around the world."

THE AIDS PANDEMIC THREATENS THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STABILITY OF
SUB SAHARAN AFRICA AND ASIA.  The United Nations calls the AIDS
pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa "the worst infectious disease
catastrophe since the bubonic plague."  An estimated 5.7 million
people were infected with HIV by the end of 1999, and India may
have become the country with the largest number of new infections
this year.

**    Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia disproportionately bear the
impact of the AIDS epidemic. While sub-Saharan Africa accounts
for only one-tenth of the global population, over 70 percent of
individuals infected with AIDS globally live there.  Currently,
22.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV,
and every day, an additional 11,000 become infected. In Asia, HIV
and AIDS is already widespread.  Because this region has 60
percent of the world's population and has the steepest infection
curve, experts are predicting that Asia will soon become the
epicenter of the epidemic.  In addition, during the next decade,
more than 40 million children in Africa will be orphaned by AIDS,
making it difficult -- if not impossible -- for them to obtain
adequate food, clothing, education, and health care services.

**   The AIDS epidemic is jeopardizing the economic stability of
the sub-Saharan African and Asian regions.  The economic toll in
HIV and AIDS are taking in Africa underscores the linkage between
the spread of this disease and poverty in the region. Although
Africa is making unprecedented economic gains, they are
jeopardized by an infection which is killing skilled personnel --
and which demands increased investment in government spending.

**    The AIDS pandemic threatens Africa and Asia's regional and
national security.  High levels of HIV infection among members of
the armed forces weakens their ability to perform their national
duties.  In addition, studies have linked the growing number of
children orphaned by AIDS to future increases in crime and civil
unrest as these children raise themselves alone, often turning to
crime, drugs, prostitution, and gangs to survive.

ONE THIRD OF ALL DEATHS EACH YEAR WORLDWIDE -- 17 MILLION PEOPLE
-- RESULT FROM INFECTIOUS DISEASES.  The developing world bears a
disproportionate burden of these diseases, which not only destroy
lives, but perpetuate the cycle of sickness and  poverty. 
Vaccines have been critical and cost-effective weapons that have
eradicated smallpox, reduced polio to the lowest levels in
history, and drastically lowered measles rates.  Building
upon these extraordinary achievements, we must work to ensure
that all children have access to effective vaccines.

**    Over eight million children die each year of centuries-old
diseases   and more than four million of these deaths could be
prevented by existing vaccines.  The dramatic expansion of
vaccine coverage in the past several decades now saves almost
three million lives each year, and prevents hundreds of thousands
of cases of paralysis and blindness.  Yet, the wider use of
existing vaccines against hepatitis B, certain forms of
meningitis, yellow fever, and other diseases could prevent an
additional four million deaths each year and reduce untold
suffering.

**   Immunization is one of the most cost-effective health
interventions. It costs only $15 to immunize a child, yet in
developing countries, children remain 10 times more likely to die
of a vaccine-preventable disease than those in the industrialized
world. 

**   Vaccines are one of the most cost-effective ways to improve
the well-being and productivity of the poorest countries. 
Investments in health are as central to economic progress in poor
countries as investments in education and physical
infrastructure.  Yet, because these countries often cannot afford
to buy vaccines, the market does not provide incentives
for pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines for diseases
that disproportionately affect developing nations.

**   Effective vaccines do not yet exist for malaria, TB and
AIDS, which kill nearly 6 million people each year.  Because
developing countries often cannot afford to buy vaccines, the
market does not provide incentives for pharmaceutical companies
to develop vaccines for diseases that disproportionately affect
those countries. Only 2 percent of all global biomedical research
by the public and private sectors is devoted to the major killers
in the developing world.  Vaccines are the best solution for
these diseases, but progress has stalled.  The global community
must intensify both research and development, and make
commitments to purchase new vaccines for these diseases when
developed. 


VICE PRESIDENT GORE UNVEILS NEW, $150 MILLION INITIATIVE TO
COMBAT AIDS AND OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES.  Today, in a speech
before the United Nations, Vice President Gore will announce that
the President's FY 2001 budget will include a new, multi-million
dollar investment in combating the spread of HIV, AIDS, and other
infectious diseases in Africa, Asia and other developing
countries.  This initiative will:

**   Invest an additional $100 million in HIV and AIDS prevention
and treatment efforts in Africa and Asia.  The President's budget
will invest a total of $325 million in HIV prevention and AIDS
treatment around the world, doubling last year's allocation.
Funds will be targeted to the countries where the disease is most
widespread and where our efforts will have the greatest impact. 
Activities include:

   Increasing primary prevention efforts.  To reduce the
incidence of new HIV infections, this initiative will help to:
implement mass education efforts and community based counseling
and testing services, provide AZT short-course therapy to
infected individuals to prevent further transmission, implement
treatment protocols to reduce mother to child transmissions, and
implement blood supply screening procedures.

   Providing care and treatment for individuals infected with
HIV. Currently, treatment options for HIV infected people in
sub-Saharan Africa and India are limited; less than 5 percent of
people know their HIV status, and health care providers are often
without the tools necessary to diagnose and treat HIV and the
associated opportunistic infections.  This initiative will
provide medical and social services to individuals with HIV,
including treatment of sexually transmitted diseases,
opportunistic infections associated with HIV, and tuberculosis.

   Caring for children orphaned by AIDS.  Together with host 
government and social service agencies, this initiative will
invest $10 million to provide school fees, food assistance,
counseling, basic health care, and other services that orphaned
children need through community mobilization programs.

   Strengthening the public health infrastructure.  This
initiative will assist African and Asian institutions in
effectively tracking the spread of HIV infections throughout the
Sub-Saharan and Asian regions, in order to focus HIV and AIDS
prevention and treatment resources and provide training and
technical assistance to developing clinics and community based
organizations delivering prevention and care.

   Assisting armed forces in preventing the spread of HIV within
military organizations.  The DoD will work with its African
counterparts to invest $10 million to prevent the spread of HIV
within military agencies throughout Africa.

   Initiating HIV prevention programs in the workplace.  This
initiative will invest $10 million to initiate workplace programs
designed to reduce discrimination against employees infected with
HIV and AIDS 
.
   Funds will also be used to develop partnerships with the
business and labor communities to launch HIV prevention
activities for employees, their families and communities.

**   Invest $50 million in purchasing vaccines for developing
countries. As part of a broad Administration vaccine initiative,
the budget includes a new $50 million investment in the Global
Fund for Children's Vaccines.  The fund, administered by the
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), a new,
collaborative effort of UNICEF, the World Bank, the World
Health Organization, and other governments and private
organizations around the world.

   Initial contributions to this fund will be used to purchase
existing vaccines for hepatitis B, haemophilus influenzae B, and
yellow  fever, along with related safe injection equipment. 
Vaccine purchases will be administered through UNICEF, which runs
an efficient immunization program today.

   This fund is one step toward encouraging the development and
delivery of new vaccines.  The developed nations have the
scientific and technological capacity to make new vaccines
possible, and a renewed international commitment to purchase
vaccines will encourage private research and development.  The
Administration is now developing further proposals to accelerate
the invention and production of new vaccines, and to increase
investment by developing nations in building sound delivery
systems for vaccines, medicines, and other basic health  
services.