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September 25 2002, news2biz ESTONIA, No 130, volume 6
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| Finns and Estonians aiming at possible HIV vaccine |
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The Estonian state is unable to provide funding for the Tampere-based Finnish biotechnology firm FIT Biotech Oyj Plc to conduct vaccine tests for an exotic strain of Type G HIV virus common in Estonia.
Much work is carried out in the firm's Tartu laboratory which emloys 11 persons. FIT Biotech's HIV vaccine, which is already in early clinical trails, is of subtype B, which is typical in Western Europe. The company is currently developing vaccines for other subtypes too. Vaccines are generally the most cost-efficient way to prevent infectious diseases.
Type G is prevalent at an 85% rate in Estonia, spreading at an alarming rate, and is otherwise common in Central Africa. The company would be prepared to consider clinical trials for the G-type vaccines in co-operation with the state of Estonia and International agencles supporting the HIV vaccine development. FIT Biotech CEO and President Pekka Sillanaukee says to news2biz ESTONIA: "We have never promised to develop a Type G vaccine, although we are open to the idea. This is serious, lots of feelings are involved."
HIV/aids is spreading faster in the countries of the former Soviet Union than anywhere else on earth, and precious time an combating the infection has been lost because the scale of the crises has been underestimated, says a United Nations report released on September 19. Infections are increasing fastest in Estonia, where one in every 1,000 people was infected in 2001.
FIT Biotech was started with seed money from public funds and investments from five private Finnish Investors. SITRA, The Finnish National Fund for Research and Development, is still the biggest owner.
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