Combination Of ALVAC HIV, AIDSVAX B/E Lowers HIV Infection By 31.2%

A phase III clinical trial involving more than 16,000 adult volunteers in Thailand has demonstrated that an investigational HIV vaccine regimen was safe and effective in preventing HIV infection.

According to final results released by the US Army surgeon general, the trial sponsor, has revealed that the combination of ALVAC HIV and AIDSVAX B/E lowered the rate of HIV infection by 31.2% compared with placebo.

The results revealed that in the final analysis, 74 placebo recipients became infected with HIV compared to 51 in the vaccine regimen arm. The vaccine regimen had no effect on the amount of virus in the blood of volunteers who became HIV-infected during the study.

Collaborating partners on this study, referred to as RV144, include the US Army, the Thai Ministry of Public Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, Sanofi Pasteur, and Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases (GSID).

RV144 tested a prime-boost vaccine strategy that combined two vaccines based on strains of HIV that circulate in Thailand. The first vaccine known as ALVAC HIV, was developed by Sanofi Pasteur and the booster vaccine, AIDSVAX B/E, was originally developed by VaxGen and is now licensed to Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases.

Lieutenant General Eric Schoomaker, surgeon general for US Army, said: “This is the first HIV vaccine candidate to successfully reduce the risk of HIV infection in humans. We are very excited and pleased with the outcome of this trial and congratulate all those who participated in it. In addition, this study is an outstanding example of international and interagency collaboration involving many partners from the Thai and US governments, private companies, non-profit organizations and volunteers.”