According to estimates of the National AIDS Control Organisation, there are 4.58 million people living with HIV/AIDS in India. An effective vaccine is considered to be one of the strategies to deal with the rapid spread of HIV infection in the country. I suggest that an overemphasis on preventive HIV vaccine research in India undermines the therapeutic HIV vaccine research needs and violates the ethical principle of distributive justice. Further, the vaccine campaign must address the vulnerability of potential trial participants and limits of regulatory mechanisms.