HIV vaccine development seen taking ‘promising turns’
MANILA, Philippines – Current and forthcoming studies of vaccines to prevent HIV infection have stirred new optimism, according to the US-based HIV Vaccine Trail Network (HVTN).
A report presented at the 21st International AIDS Conference held recently in Durban, South Africa showed that the development of an HIV vaccine has started to take some “promising turns.”
The report presented the results from the HVTN 100 study being conducted by HVTN in partnership with South African research sites.
HVTN 100 tested the immune responses of South African study volunteers to a modified version of RV144 regiment, the only HIV vaccine regimen to show efficacy to date.
The original RV144 vaccine reduced the HIV infection rate among study participants in Thailand by 31 percent over 3.5 years.
According to HTVN Protocol chair Linda Gail-Bekker, the HTVN 100 used the same vaccines that RV144 tested, but made them specific to the Clade C sub-type of HIV, which is widespread in southern Africa.
Bekker is also president of International AIDS Society that organized the conference.
Initial results of HVTN 100 provided the green light for a Phase III efficacy trial on the modified RV144 regimen.
- Latest
- Trending
