Aids vaccine from Italy: trial results encouraging

Campaigners fired verbal volleys at Big Pharma, accusing drugs companies of providing life-saving drugs to HIV patients in rich countries but ignoring counterparts in poor economies.

Campaigners fired verbal volleys at Big Pharma, accusing drugs companies of providing life-saving drugs to HIV patients in rich countries but ignoring counterparts in poor economies.

Published Jun 10, 2016

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Johannesburg - The TAT vaccine against HIV and Aids improves responses to antiretrovirals (ARVs) in people living with HIV, a clinical trial has confirmed.

The results of the test were published in the scientific journal Retrovirology on Thursday.

The phase II trial, conducted at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Pretoria, put 200 participants with undetectable levels of HIV in their blood on ARV treatment.

Individuals were randomly assigned to two groups, one of which received injections of the vaccine.

After 48 weeks, those vaccinated showed “significant increases” of CD4(+) T cells in comparison to the placebo group.

“TAT has a key role in viral replication and procession of the disease by weakening the immune system,” according to Dr B Ensoli, the inventor of the vaccine.

“By designing a vaccine that included a small amount of the TAT protein, we were able to induce an immune response capable of improving the effects of HIV drugs.”

T cells, which are vital in the body's immune response to disease, are progressively lost when an individual is infected with HIV.

Although ARVs slow the virus, the T cell count can remain low, especially for those who start treatment late after their diagnosis.

The study confirms the results of a previous trial in Italy. Three years after vaccination in that trial, participants showed a large decrease of the “virus reservoir” in their blood.

A concurrent study in South Africa is under way to determine if these results are replicated.

The vaccine was developed at the National Institute of Health in Italy by the National Aids Centre.

The trial is part of a co-operation programme with the Department of Health and the Medical Research Council.

The programme is a collaboration between the South African and Italian governments.

“Obviously, South Africa welcomes any development in terms of getting the vaccine for HIV, because it is one of the greatest problems we have,” Department of Health spokesman Joe Maila told The Star.

The Star

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@OliviaExstrum

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