*This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated. 1993.11.30 : National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development Contact: Victor Zonana Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1993 (202) 690-6343 HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the formation of a National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development to expedite the search for new therapies against AIDS and the underlying human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The expert panel will be highly focused, seeking new and innovative approaches to the development of AIDS drugs. "The task force has a clear and critical mission: to identify, and remove, any barriers or obstacles to developing effective treatments," Shalala said. The 15-member panel will be drawn from government, the pharmaceutical industry, academia, medicine and the AIDS-affected communities. "This represents unprecedented high-level collaboration among leaders in the field," Shalala said. "It is time to refocus and re-energize our best minds for a concerted attack on this killer," Shalala said. "None of us can guarantee success," Shalala added. "HIV is a vicious and cunning adversary. But history will judge us harshly if we fail to give it our best shot." Shalala was joined at the announcement by Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Philip Lee, who will chair the panel; Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, chairman and chief executive officer of Merck & Co., Inc.; Kristine M. Gebbie, national AIDS policy coordinator; and Moises Agosto, research and treatment advocacy manager at the National Minority AIDS Council. Also attending the National Institutes of Health press conference were Dr. David Kessler, commissioner of food and drugs; Dr. Harold Varmus, newly sworn in as director of the National Institutes of Health; and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "The FDA has made great strides in streamlining the approval process for drugs to treat life-threatening conditions, and the NIH has contributed mightily to our understanding of AIDS and HIV," Shalala said. In addition, the Clinton administration and Congress have raised the NIH AIDS research budget 21 percent this year, to $1.3 billion," she added. " But the sad fact remains that not a single New Drug Application for an antiretroviral drug is currently before the FDA. No matter how much we shorten the pipeline, we cannot achieve our goal unless we start filling that pipeline with promising compounds," Shalala said. At least one million U.S. citizens are infected with HIV. Some 340,000 have been reported to the CDC with full-blown AIDS, and over 200,000 have died. "Unfortunately, none of the drugs we have today are curative," Dr. Lee said. "The task force, which will be appointed by and report to the secretary, will bring together many of the top people in the field. It will raise the level and intensity of collaboration," Dr. Lee continued. "The group we envision will be constantly evaluating the process-- identifying obstacles, charting strategy, and asking: 'What are our options? Is anything falling through the cracks? Are we doing everything we possibly can?'" Lee said. "We're not just talking about antivirals," Dr. Lee added. "We need an across-the-board strategy to develop drugs to treat all aspects of HIV disease. We need immune modulators, anticancer compounds, and agents to treat and prevent opportunsitic infections." "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inform me that AIDS and HIV, on average, kill 92 people in this country every day," Shalala said. "With so many people being held hostage by this virus, we must explore all possible options." Shalala said she expects to begin receiving nominations for task force membership immediately. Said Gebbie: "The mere creation of a new task force does not halt an epidemic, and if this new group were allowed to become a mere bureaucratic space-filler, it could even become counterproductive. I am confident, however, that neither of these things will occur." Added Shalala: "This is is not just another government panel appointed to study an issue and write a report that gathers dust. "I expect the task force to report to me personally, rapidly and regularly, and I pledge to work with all its members to eliminate any obstacles to finding effective treatments," she said.