Historic HIV vaccine trials in humans will start in South Africa. If the trials have positive results, it will be a huge step to HIV AIDS cure. Researchers will work with thousands of volunteers to develop a vaccine to prevent the deadly disease that kills over a million people each year.
Four years back, researchers in Thailand tested a vaccine which involved16,000 people. The result only had 31% positive results. That was why it did not get the approval in public. The test, however, encouraged researchers to go ahead and try different combinations for the drug to come back stronger with another trial.
If the HIV vaccine trials in humans produce at least 50% positive results, it will be enough for to start licensing negotiations. Nevertheless, even if it gives 60% positive results, it will still be lower than present standards for vaccines. But, since more than two million people get infected every year, it is worth giving a shot.
Nelson L. Michael, the director of the US Military HIV Research Program that led the Thailand research, believes this is going a historic even for HIV, if the test shows efficacy.
"Given that right now we have nothing, we'd be happy if this vaccine were even 45 or 50 percent effective," the Washington Post quoted Gita Ramjee, director of the HIV Prevention Research Unit at the Medical Research Council in Durban, as saying. "Even a modestly effective vaccine like that would have a huge impact here."
Meanwhile, in China, the national drug authority examined the results of a clinical research on Wednesday. The research is related to Albuvirtide for Injection, a home-produced anti-HIV drug, in its final phase. If Chinese authorities approve the drug, this is going to be world's first long-acting anti-HIV injection, Global Times reported.
The HIV vaccine trials in humans in South Africa and the Chinese injection may prove that scientists are fast moving forward to HIV cure. Sooner or later, there will be ways to counter the lethal disease.
