Invitation to a seminar on Danish Vaccine Development

 

 

 

 

Background

 

In the wake of the conference on the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) in Copenhagen March 2006, it was decided by participants of the Danish Research Network for International Health that there was a need to prepare follow-up activities to highlight the status, challenges and investment needs of HIV, TB, malaria and childhood vaccine development in Denmark. The seminar has been planned by a cross institutional planning group consisting of key researchers in the field of vaccine development and use within the main fields of malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB and infectious diseases in childhood.

 

 

 

Objectives

 

-         To focus on Danish policies and investments needed to make best use of the Danish scientific environment in the field of poverty related diseases

 

-         To secure active Danish participation in European and global structures for better co-ordination and more investment.

 

 

 

Invited participants

 

Members of parliament, other decision makers, AIDS-Net, scientists, South partners, International Public Partnerships with DANIDA support, the pharmaceutical industry, WHO Regional Europe Office, media, Network participants, including researchers, students, consultants, NGO, Danida representatives and other interested persons.

 

 

 Preliminary Programme

 

Moderator:   Kirsten Larsen, DR  (5 minutes of discussion will be included in each presentation)

 

09:00 - 09:05            Welcome

                                 Kirsten Jensen, Project manager, the AIDS Fund and member of the board of the Danish Research Network for International Health

 

09:05 – 09:20            Need for better tools against poverty-related diseases. Vaccines can make a difference

Odile Leroy, Executive Director, the European Malaria Vaccine Initiative(EMVI), Copenhagen

 

09:20 – 09:40            Why is Danish research and development (R&D) to prevent poverty-related diseases good value for money?

Lars Hviid, Professor, Centre for Medical Parasitology (CMP), Institute of International Health, Immunology and Mircobiology, University of Copenhagen & The University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen

 

09:40 – 10:15            Why is it important to have research as an integrated element of foreign aid and development policy? – Introduction to the forthcoming research and development strategy of SIDA

                                 Andreas Heddini, Research Adviser, Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA), Stockholm

                                

10:15 – 10:45            Coffee & tea break

 

10:45 – 11:05            What makes pharmaceutical companies interested in curative and preventive strategies (vaccines) against poverty related diseases?

Peter Wulff, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bavarian Nordic A/S

 

11:05 – 11:30            UN Millennium Development Goals: The importance of vaccines for better health and development in the South

John Lusingu, Post.Doc., National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Tanzania

             

 

11:30 – 12:30            Panel discussion

 

                                 Promotion of vaccine development:

How Denmark could become a net contributor to solving the global public health crisis.

                                 (Tools: Research Councils, Own Budget line on Poverty Related Diseases,

                                 EDCTP, other EU tools, Global tools, etc….)

 

Invited members of the Parliament: Kamal Kareshi, MP, Jens Hald Madsen, MP, Lars Barfod, MEP,  Kirsten Brosbøl, MP, Steen Gade, MP, , Sophie Hæstorp Andersen MP.  Rune Lund MP.  Jan Petersen MP, Naser Khader MP. To be confirmed

 

Researchers: Professor Thor Theander (CMP), Professor Lars Hviid, Professor Peter Skinhøj, Professor Peter Åby, Professor Peter Andersen,

Søren Jepsen SSI.

 

Danida representatives.  (To be confirmed)

 

12:30 – 13:00            Sandwiches for panelists and key speakers & informal mingling

 

Discussants:

Professor Peter Andersen, The State Serum Institute (SSI; Anders Fomsgaard Chief of Molecular Virology, SS;  Professor Peter Åby, SSI & Bandim, Guinea Bissau;  Klaus Winkel, Danish EDCT, Co-ordinator, Professor Peter Skinhøj, The University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen and Søren Jepsen,  former director EMVI, SSI.