HIV vaccines: small biotech and government-funded organizations will step in where Big Pharma has fallen short, says analyst

While the risks involved in HIV vaccine development have turned Big Pharma away from pursuing a preventative vaccine, government-funded organizations and smaller biotech firms may provide the answer, a GlobalData analyst has said in a research note as World AIDS Vaccine Day approaches.

“The recent discontinuation of the NIAID-sponsored HVTN 505 clinical trial is representative of the challenges and risks involved in HIV vaccine development. These risks have turned Big Pharma away from pursuing a preventative vaccine. As a result, government-funded organizations and small biotech companies are in hot pursuit of preventative HIV vaccines,” says Charalampos Valmas, infectious disease analyst for GlobalData, a London-based research and consulting firm.

“While current antiretroviral therapies (ART) have successfully turned the disease into a chronic and manageable condition, the cost, side effects and implications of HIV infection on quality of life highlight the need for effective, preventative interventions,” Dr Valmas points out.