Cape Town - South Africans are to take part in clinical trials that may lead to the development of a vaccine that will prevent HIV infection.
Trials run in Thailand recently to test the efficacy of a vaccine under development provided the first indications that a vaccine could reduce the risk of becoming infected by the virus.
Thirty-one percent of those who were vaccinated in the Thai trials did not contract the virus. The researchers described the Thai results as “modest”.
The South African clinical trials are the next step in the vaccine development.
The Desmond Tutu HIV Centre and research site in Crossroads is one of six centres that will take part in the trials.
Surita Roux, researcher and doctor at the centre, said on Monday: “This is good news for HIV treatment because it shows the research field is moving forward. It’s absolutely great news.”
The vaccine development is being carried out by the Division of Aids and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US.
These institutions have applied to the local authorities and biosafety and ethics committees for permission to to do “randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials” on volunteer adults between 18 and 40 years who are not infected with HIV.
The trials will run for 18 months.
“The results from Thailand showed 31 percent of people were protected against HIV infection, but that’s not good enough for a vaccine.
“But it is good news because it is the first efficacy study which shows results like this. The others didn’t show any protection.”
Roux said the product being tested here was not the same as that tested in Thailand.
“The scientists used what was good in the Thai product and developed a new product with the understanding that it might be promising.”
The first phase of the trials here will assess the safety of the product and whether it produces some kind of immune response.
In phase two the number of volunteers will be increased and the focus will be on the immune response and whether it is significant enough to go to phase three clinical trials.
“The last phase involves thousands of people. We have existing systems to reach volunteers through community awareness campaigns, sometimes we use newspapers and radio, and on site people are introduced to the research.”
Volunteers will be screened to establish they are not infected by HIV, and are told the product that is being tested will not protect them from acquiring the virus, and that they should practise safe sex by using condoms.
The public notice of the US institutes conducting the research stated there were 6.1 million South Africans infected with HIV. It said the vast majority of newly acquired infections occurred during sex between males and females.
“There is currently no licensed vaccine available yet and effective methods for the prevention of acquiring HIV and transmission of the infection are urgently needed,” the notice said. - Cape Times