Building Technical Capacity | Reaching Out | Sustaining Political Support | Advocacy 

Brazil’s technical capacity and commitment to public health make it an ideal partner in the global effort to develop and distribute vaccines against HIV. There are several active AIDS vaccine research centers in the country, which accounts for roughly a third of all estimated HIV infections in Latin America.

Although IAVI is not directly involved in R&D projects in the country, we do support Brazil’s AIDS vaccine program in a number of ways. We signed in July 2002 a memorandum of understanding with the nation’s National AIDS Program (NAP) of the Ministry of Health, to help:

• Strengthen capacity for vaccine research and development in the country
• Support ongoing AIDS vaccine advocacy
• Ensure rapid delivery of a vaccine when one has been developed and approved by regulators

Today, we collaborate with the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) Grupo de Incentivo a Vida (GIV) and Grupo Pela Vidda, among others, to help disseminate educational materials and other communications about AIDS vaccine research and development, and to support AIDS vaccine advocacy.

IAVI also works with the Ministry of Health, providing technical assistance in the formulation of policies to promote AIDS vaccine development.

BUILDING TECHNICAL CAPACITY

Among other activities, IAVI and NAP have conducted joint assessments of potential AIDS vaccine clinical trial centers to inform decisions about site development. This has provided an opportunity for IAVI representatives to exchange technical skills and tools with Brazil’s experts. IAVI has also provided technical input to the most recent update of the National AIDS Vaccine Plan, a document that will guide government investment in this field until 2012. IAVI and the NAP will work closely on several aspects of the implementation of the National AIDS Vaccine Plan.

We also provide training in Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP), and exchange opportunities on other technical issues, to Brazil’s vaccine research community.

REACHING OUT

The AIDS vaccine effort would not be sustainable without the widespread support of communities where vaccine trials are conducted and the leaders of the countries that host those trials.

With that in mind, IAVI works with NGOs, government agencies, healthcare professionals and the media to advocate for AIDS vaccine research and development in Brazil.

With our support, GIV holds national and regional meetings to share recent developments in the AIDS vaccine research field with the community of HIV organizations. These meetings help foster greater support for AIDS vaccines.

We also partner with GIV to produce and disseminate IAVI’s community newsletter, VAX, and support the publication of a biannual newsletter about AIDS vaccine research for non-technical audiences.

We have coordinated vaccine literacy training and a series of briefings on AIDS vaccine research for the Brazilian media. IAVI has also collaborated with NAP to develop a reference book for Brazilian journalists on AIDS vaccine issues.

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SUSTAINING POLITICAL SUPPORT

Brazil has long been a global leader in responding to the HIV crisis. IAVI works with its leaders to continue and refine that tradition by aiding the formulation of sound AIDS-related policy.

IAVI completed in 2006 an in-depth assessment of the Brazilian regulatory environment in an effort to accelerate the approval of new clinical trials. Later that year, with NAP and the World Health Organization, IAVI co-sponsored a meeting on clinical trial ethics and regulatory review to foster dialogue about improving quality in the former and efficiency in the latter.

Working with the Futures Institute, NAP and researchers at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, we also launched a study in 2007 exploring the potential impact of partially effective AIDS vaccines in Brazil. The results established that such vaccines could have a significant impact on the epidemic, even in countries where HIV primarily strikes unique subsets of the population (as it does in Brazil). They would, we found, significantly reduce the number of new infections as well as the future demand for treatment.

We have launched an exhaustive assessment of the environment for innovative research and development for AIDS vaccines in Brazil in collaboration with the Brazilian Public Health Association (ABRASCO) and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. This project will result in recommendations that are likely to increase national investment and enhance the systems for vaccine research and development in Brazil. The final report will inform the strategies of the Ministry of Health in implementing the National AIDS Vaccine Plan.

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ADVOCACY

IAVI works with Brazilian AIDS vaccine advocates to ensure that their concerns are heard in global deliberations. In 2004, for example, Brazil’s Minister of Health highlighted the country’s commitment to AIDS vaccines, and the need for continued investment, at a meeting organized by IAVI during a UN Briefing on HIV. Our partners at the NAP also have played an important role in ensuring the vaccine message is integrated into multiple international AIDS related forums.

We have also collaborated with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Technology to implement the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) trilateral agreement—a partnership that focuses on R&D and health initiatives. The agreement provides an opportunity for the three emerging economies to tap their growing biomedical research and manufacturing capabilities for AIDS vaccine development.