Panafrican News Agency - February 10, 1999
In a news release, programme's executive director, Dr Peter Piot, said "this trial signifies an important early step toward the development of a safe and effective vaccine against HIV, an essential strategy for bringing the epidemic under control."
The tests in Thailand come amid signs that 16,000 people were getting infected every day in 1998, nearly all of them from the developing world, and that over 34 million were living with HIV, the virus that causes the incurable AIDS.
Although Piot said the vaccine's potential could not be predicted, the trial "will provide important information that can help us understand how this and other AIDS vaccines may work and how to improve their efficacy in future."
UNAIDS said that to accelerate AIDS vaccine development, different types of vaccines must be tested in parallel.
The trial in Thailand will test the AIDSVAX vaccine developed by VaxGen, Inc of Brisbane, California, which began a large-scale trial in the US in June. The vaccine will differ from the product tested in the US, to match the different strains of HIV that exist in the country.
The trial will involve 2,500 volunterrs who are at higher risk for HIV infection because of injecting drug use. The US trial involves 5,000 volunteers primarily at risk through sexual transmission.
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