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Interagency Agreement Transfers DoD HIV Research to NIAID

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Accession Number
 A00619

Author
 National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Source
 NIAID Press Release

Release Date
 July 1, 2002

Major Descriptors
 Policy
Vaccines
National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease (NIAID)
USAMRMC
Department of Defense (DoD)

Topic
 Official Statements

Text
 The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) of the Department of Defense (DoD) recently signed an Interagency Agreement to transfer oversight and management of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP) to NIAID. According to the terms of the agreement, funds to support the DoD program will be provided to USAMRMC from the NIH HIV/AIDS research budget. As identified last February by the FY 2003 President's Budget, NIH will assume responsibility for managing and funding the program through NIAID effective October 1, 2002.
Both NIAID and USAMRMC are committed to a common goal: to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS by developing safe and effective vaccines, other prevention strategies and innovative HIV treatments. Their agreement serves several purposes:
- To leverage NIH core competencies and expertise in supporting, overseeing and conducting HIV/AIDS research
- To utilize and retain DoD's scientific capabilities and experience in preventing HIV infection in the military and conducting research internationally, and to give NIAID access to its research capabilities and clinical trial volunteers
- To consolidate and coordinate NIAID and DoD efforts regarding HIV/AIDS research and development.
Both NIAID and USAMRMC are committed to a common goal: to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS by developing safe and effective vaccines, other prevention strategies and innovative HIV treatments. Their agreement serves several purposes:
- A Phase 3 trial in Thailand of an HIV vaccine, ALVAC vCP1521 prime plus AIDSVAX B/E gp120 boost
- Developing infrastructure, training programs, and other activities geared toward conducting HIV vaccine trials in Africa, as well as other international initiatives
- USMHRP's outpatient clinical vaccine trial facility and specimen processing/repository facility
- A production facility in Rockville, Maryland, to make pilot lots of promising candidate HIV vaccines
- Integration of the U.S. Military Clinical Intervention Network with NIAID's intramural clinical studies program
- HIV-1 global surveillance, which is used in part to inform the U.S. military of the HIV threat in areas of potential troop deployment.
The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), a private, non-profit organization that works closely with the Walter Reed Army Institute for Research (WRAIR), a laboratory of USAMRMC, will continue to be a resource for the program.
The management of the USMHRP will include a Research Coordinating Team and a Research Oversight Team. The teams will comprise representatives from WRAIR, HJF, USAMRMC, NIAID, and NIAID's HIV Vaccine Trials Network.
NIAID is a component of the NIH. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, illness from potential agents of bioterrorism, tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.
Prepared by: Office of Communications and Public Liaison National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892 Press Office: (301) 402-1663
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services