AIDS vaccine fails, long HIV fight still ahead.

2003 MAR 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Though a once-promising AIDS vaccine candidate failed a significant test, scientists and activists still applauded the biotechnology company for conducting an ethical experiment and said the results can be used to further the field.

When VaxGen, Inc. first announced its intention to recruit more than 5,000 volunteers for its vaccine test, many feared the experiment would only arm its participants with a false sense of protection and tempt them to engage in high-risk sex.

But the company and its researchers launched an aggressive educational program for its participants and incidents of risky behavior actually decreased.

"VaxGen's conduct of this trial lived up to the highest standards of scientific integrity," said Walter R. Dowdle, who chaired an independent review committee that oversaw the safety aspects of the experiment.

Still, the failure in trials of a first vaccine for AIDS shattered slim hopes of a shield against infection in the near future and demonstrated just how far scientists are from bringing the disease under control.

A quirk in the results made public February 24, 2003 drew some attention, however: There were encouraging results among the small number of blacks who participated in the trial. Scientists said more study was needed to draw any conclusion.

VaxGen said that overall there was no meaningful difference in protection between the 3330 volunteers who received the genetically engineered vaccine and the 1679 volunteers who received a placebo.