HIV vaccine offers new hope after infections are cut by nearly a third

RV_144 - Wikipedia 25/09/2009

The Times

By: Presswatch

HIV vaccine offers new hope after infections are cut by nearly a third

An experimental HIV vaccine that has become the first to show signs of protecting people has been described by scientists as a "historic breakthrough" in the battle against the condition. Findings from the world's largest HIV vaccine trial, involving more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, suggest that a drug known as RV144 reduces the chances of being infected by nearly a third. The drug lowered the risk of HIV infection by 31.2 per cent among the heterosexual volunteers, who had no special risk of Aids infection, researchers from the US Army and Thailand's Ministry of Public Health said. Jerome Kim, of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, who helped to lead the trial, said "Although the level of protection that we saw was clearly modest, the study is a major scientific advance. It gives us hope that a globally effective vaccine may be possible in the future."