[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 91 (Tuesday, July 6, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7582-S7583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

SENATE RESOLUTION 398--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON PROMOTING 
                 INITIATIVES TO DEVELOP AN HIV VACCINE

  Mr. LUGAR submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 398

       Whereas more than 20,000,000 people have died of the 
     acquired immune deficiency syndrome (hereinafter referred to 
     as ``AIDS'') between 1984 and 2004;
       Whereas AIDS claimed the lives of more than 3,000,000 
     people in 2003, and nearly 8,500 people die each day from 
     AIDS;
       Whereas an estimated 40,000,000 people around the world are 
     living with the human immunodeficiency virus (hereinafter 
     referred to as ``HIV'') or AIDS;
       Whereas an estimated 14,000 people become infected with HIV 
     every day;
       Whereas there will be 45,000,000 new infections by 2010 and 
     nearly 70,000,000 deaths by 2020;
       Whereas an estimated 14,000,000 children have lost 1 or 
     both parents to AIDS, and this number is expected to increase 
     to 25,000,000 by 2010;
       Whereas a child loses a parent to AIDS every 14 seconds;
       Whereas more than 90 percent of the people infected with 
     HIV live in the developing world;
       Whereas more than 70 percent of the people infected with 
     HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa;
       Whereas communities and countries are struggling with the 
     devastating human and economic toll that HIV and AIDS has 
     taken on them;
       Whereas the HIV/AIDS pandemic threatens political and 
     regional stability and has contributed to broader economic 
     and social problems, including food insecurity, labor 
     shortages, and the orphaning of generations of children;
       Whereas the United States is leading global efforts to 
     combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic through its $15,000,000,000 
     Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and its commitment to the 
     Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria;
       Whereas, through the World Health Organization, the Joint 
     United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and the Global 
     Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the 
     international community is cooperating multilaterally to 
     combat HIV/AIDS;
       Whereas developing an HIV vaccine is especially challenging 
     due to the complicated nature of the virus;
       Whereas many biotechnology companies have not invested in 
     the development of HIV vaccines;
       Whereas during 2001-2002, only 7 HIV vaccine candidates 
     entered clinical trials, and only 1 of those candidates 
     entered advanced human testing, but it proved ineffective;
       Whereas the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) 
     has been a very effective and positive force in the 
     development of an HIV vaccine and has been instrumental in 
     laying the groundwork for developing an HIV vaccine;
       Whereas the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the 
     Rockefeller Foundation, and other public and private 
     organizations are pursuing a variety of initiatives to 
     develop an HIV vaccine, including establishing BIO Ventures 
     for Global Health to help small biotechnology companies 
     address the problems they confront in developing new medical 
     products for poor countries;
       Whereas the members of the Group of Eight (Canada, France, 
     Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the 
     United States) met in Sea Island, Georgia in June 2004 and 
     reaffirmed their commitment to combat the global HIV/AIDS 
     pandemic by accelerating and coordinating efforts to develop 
     an HIV vaccine;
       Whereas at the meeting in Sea Island, Georgia, the 
     President encouraged the Group of Eight to endorse the 
     establishment of a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, a virtual 
     consortium to accelerate HIV vaccine development by enhancing 
     coordination, information sharing, and collaboration 
     globally;
       Whereas the United States currently has an HIV vaccine 
     research and development center at the National Institutes of 
     Health, and the President announced plans to establish a 
     second HIV vaccine research and development center in the 
     United States; and
       Whereas an HIV vaccine has the potential to prevent new HIV 
     and AIDS cases, which would save millions of lives and 
     dramatically reduce the negative economic consequences of HIV 
     and AIDS: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN HIV 
                   VACCINE.

       It is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the President should seek to build on the initiative of 
     the members of the Group of Eight (Canada, France, Germany, 
     Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United 
     States) to develop a vaccine to curtail the spread of the 
     human immunodeficiency virus (hereinafter referred to as 
     ``HIV'') and should mobilize necessary economic and 
     scientific support to establish a Global HIV Vaccine 
     Enterprise, as described in section 2;
       (2) the President should continue to urge the members of 
     the Group of Eight and other countries to garner support from 
     their own economic, scientific, and philanthropic communities 
     for the development of an HIV vaccine;
       (3) the President should establish a second vaccine 
     research and development center in the United States, as he 
     announced in June 2004;
       (4) the members of the Group of Eight should follow-up the 
     June 2004 meeting in Sea Island, Georgia with official and 
     private meetings, conferences, and other events to further 
     explore and implement initiatives concerning the Global HIV 
     Vaccine Enterprise;
       (5) the members of the Group of Eight should leverage 
     financial contributions from the international philanthropic 
     community to provide funding, including funding to the 
     private sector, to promote the development of an HIV vaccine;
       (6) the members of the Group of Eight should include the 
     scientific and political leadership of those countries most 
     affected by the pandemic of HIV and the acquired immune 
     deficiency syndrome (hereinafter referred to as ``AIDS''); 
     and
       (7) the members of the Group of Eight should develop a 
     specific plan for furthering its efforts towards this goal by 
     the June 2005 meeting in the United Kingdom.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHING A GLOBAL HIV VACCINE ENTERPRISE.

       The Senate urges the President to continue the efforts of 
     the United States to generate global support for the 
     establishment of a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise by carrying 
     out an initiative that--
       (1) is in coordination and partnership with the members of 
     the Group of Eight, the private sector, and other countries, 
     especially

[[Page S7583]]

     those most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic;
       (2) encourages the members of the Group of Eight to act 
     swiftly to mobilize money and resources to make the 
     establishment of a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise a reality;
       (3) includes a strategic plan to prioritize the scientific 
     and other challenges to be addressed, to coordinate research 
     and product development efforts, and to encourage greater use 
     of information-sharing networks and technologies;
       (4) encourages the establishment of a number of coordinated 
     global HIV vaccine development centers that would have the 
     critical mass and scientific expertise necessary to advance 
     the development of an HIV vaccine; and
       (5) increases cooperation, communication, and sharing of 
     information on issues related to HIV and AIDS among 
     regulatory authorities in various countries.

  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution expressing 
the Sense of the Senate on promoting initiatives to develop an HIV 
vaccine.
  The HIV/AIDS pandemic is unlike any disease in history and has 
profound implications for political stability, development, and human 
welfare. The sheer magnitude of the crisis is overwhelming. An 
estimated 40,000,000 people around the world live with HIV or AIDS, and 
nearly 8,500 people die every day from AIDS. Last year alone, more than 
3,000,000 people died from AIDS. Every 14 seconds, a child loses a 
parent to AIDS. An estimated 14,000,000 children have lost one or both 
parents to AIDS, and this number is expected in increase to 25,000,000 
by 2010. According to recent projections from the World Health 
Organization and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), 
if the pandemic spreads at this current rate, there will be 45,000,000 
new infections by 2010 and nearly 70 million deaths by 2020. Sub-
Saharan Africa has been hardest hit by the disease, with more than 75 
percent of the people infected with HIV living in the region.
  The U.S. is leading global efforts to combat the pandemic through its 
$15 billion dollar Emergency Plan for AIDS relief and its commitment to 
the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. But the human 
and economic toll of the HIV pandemic demands that these activities be 
complemented by accelerated efforts to develop an HIV vaccine. An HIV 
vaccine would prevent new HIV and AIDS cases, which could save millions 
of lives and dramatically reduce the negative social and economic 
consequences of the disease. Yet, HIV vaccine development is still not 
prominent on national or international public health agendas.
  Developing an HIV vaccine is particularly challenging because HIV is 
one of the most complicated viruses ever identified. In addition, many 
private sector biotechnology companies have not invested money and 
expertise in the search for an HIV vaccine. Developing an HIV vaccine, 
therefore, is unlikely to occur without a well-coordinated and focused 
global research effort.
  Recently, under President Bush's leadership, the Members of the Group 
of Eight Industrialized Nations (G-8), during their meeting at Sea 
Island, endorsed the establishment of a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise. 
The Enterprise, an international alliance working to develop an HIV 
vaccine, would be modeled after the Human Gnome Project which brought 
together public and private sector researchers to map the human genetic 
code. Similarly, the HIV Vaccine Enterprise is intended to accelerate 
progress by promoting international public-private collaboration. It 
would coordinate the research efforts of scientists from around the 
globe to improve the chances of developing an HIV vaccine. President 
Bush also announced plans to establish a second HIV Vaccine Research 
and Development Center, in addition to the one at the U.S. National 
Institutes of Health. The new center will become a key component of the 
Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise.
  The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has been 
instrumental in laying the groundwork for such an enterprise. The IAVI 
is an international organization that collaborates with developing 
countries, governments, and international agencies dedicated to 
accelerating the development of a vaccine to halt the AIDS epidemic. 
The IAVI, however, cannot accomplish this task alone. Here in the 
United States, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the 
Rockefeller Foundation have joined forces to help address the financial 
problems faced by small biotechnology companies. They founded BIO 
Ventures for Global Health to help small biotechnology companies 
address the problems they confront in developing new medical products 
for poor countries. The wider application of this model would greatly 
improve the development of vaccines and other medicines aimed at 
improving health in the developing world.
  I commend the President's leadership on this critically important 
issue. The G-8's endorsement of a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise is a 
big step forward in the development of an HIV vaccine. My resolution 
acknowledges the President's and the G-8's actions towards this goal 
and urges them to continue to cooperate with other countries, 
particularly those hit hardest by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, to achieve 
this important objective.

                          ____________________