The prototype of an AIDS vaccine is ready for pre-clinical toxicity studies. The National AIDS Control Organisation and the Indian Council of Medical Research are developing the vaccine under a joint collaboration with International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, USA, claimed a government press release.

The release said that the vaccine is being developed using six genes representing relevant antigens of the Indian HIV strain. These genes have been inserted into a Modified Vaccine - Ankara.

It also said that another proposal for HIV/AIDS Vaccine development for type 'c' in collaboration with Emroy Vaccine Centre of USA is under the active consideration of the Indo-US Vaccine Action Programme of the Department of Biotechnology.

"These initiatives are being taken up under the National Jai Vigyan Programme of the Government which among other things aims at developing new generation vaccines including candidate vaccines for HIV-1, type-c, the strain highly prevalent in India. DNA and recombinant vaccine as prime boost strategy has yielded encouraging results. The ongoing research projects are regularly monitored by experts and corrections mid-course are carried out wherever necessary. The National AIDS Research Institute, Pune under ICMR is also engaged in R&D and clinical trials of anti-retrovial drugs for HIV" it said.

Currently two leading drug companies i.e. Cipla in Mumbai and Ranbaxy in New Delhi are manufacturing generic version of several anti-retrovial drugs for HIV, at much cheaper rates compared to the United States. The Government has also exempted some of these drugs from excise and customs duty, to make them more affordable the release pointed out.