
Christine Sizemore of the U.S. National Institutes of Health called on the TB vaccine research field to challenge dogma and to think outside the box as scientists and researchers move into the next generation of TB vaccine development. Her sentiments echoed a common theme on the final day of the 2nd Global Forum on TB Vaccines in Tallinn, Estonia as more than 200 participants from 31 countries brought the meeting to a conclusion.
The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation today announced that James E. Connolly has been named President and Chief Executive Officer. He joins Aeras after a career in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Wyeth Vaccines. He will take over as Aeras President and CEO on August 9, 2010.
In recent weeks, U.S.-based global health advocates have been scrutinizing and providing public comments on the recently released draft strategy of the President’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), which rightly expands the US government’s global health policy to address several key areas that were neglected in recent years. However, although tuberculosis kills almost two million people each year, the GHI – more accurately, what’s not in the GHI – suggests that TB is just not a priority for the Administration.