GlaxoSmithKline Plc is to develop an experimental AIDS vaccine in collaboration with a non-profit group, in the first such public-private HIV vaccine partnership involving a major company.
Jean Stephenne, head of GSK Biologicals, the vaccines arm of Europe’s biggest drugmaker, said on Tuesday the deal with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), would speed research into a novel way of stopping the deadly virus.
IAVI will provide expertise and funding for the research and the two organizations will form a joint R&D team, with GSK committed to making any successful vaccine available in developing countries at affordable prices.