Experts urge renewed push on US-Thai HIV vaccine

[webfact]

Experts urge renewed push on US-Thai HIV vaccine

BANGKOK, August 30, 2013 (AFP) - Health experts on Thursday called for trials of an HIV vaccine under development in Thailand to be speeded up following recent setbacks in other efforts to end the AIDS epidemic.

Initial test results of the RV144 vaccine -- jointly developed by US military researchers and the Thai health ministry -- in 2009 found a 31 percent protection rate among 16,000 Thai volunteers.

Phase IIb trials could start next year in the kingdom, a major forum in Bangkok heard.

Experts are optimistic a modified version of the vaccine will raise the protection rate to around 50 percent -- the figure needed to obtain regulatory approval for public release.

"After 30 years of this epidemic we're closer to a vaccine than we ever have been," Mitchell Warren, of US-based AVAC Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention, told AFP at a forum in Bangkok.

"But it's important we don't let our efforts slip. The challenge now is to make sure we take the next steps quickly," he said.

He said the next tests would take one or two years. After that comes Phase III, the widest and most exhaustive trial stage.

Experts at the Aids Vaccine Efficacy Consortium in the Thai capital said the vaccine could be available by 2020 if tests are speeded up in Thailand, as well as in South Africa where parallel research is planned.

Thailand has pledged to establish a public-private company to manufacture the vaccine if trials are successful.

The kingdom became a research hub for the illness after high rates of HIV were detected among army recruits in the 1990s, and has been praised for its proactive approach to prevention, awareness-raising and treatment of the illness.

However the World Health Organisation says Thailand still has more than 520,000 people living with HIV and AIDS -- the highest number in Southeast Asia.

HIV rates are rising among high-risk groups such as gay men, who saw an increase from 24.5 percent in 2005 to 29.4 percent in 2011, according to US and Thai health authorities.

There is currently no vaccine against HIV on the market, and no cure for AIDS, which has killed some 35 million people around the globe.

US authorities announced in April they had halted clinical trials of an experimental vaccine called HVTN 505, which was the latest in a series of unsuccessful studies.

Any successful vaccine must be speedily targeted at high-risk communities particularly in the Asia-Pacific region where rates are bucking a global downward trend, according to Luiz Loures of UNAIDS.

"But we can end AIDS," he added. "For the first time we've started to see that the end of AIDS is a real possibility."


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-08-30

[Mampara]

They say for some unknown reason that many Thais are just hosts of the virus and don't show any symptoms of the disease.

[bobl]

They say for some unknown reason that many Thais are just hosts of the virus and don't show any symptoms of the disease.

You can always expect a laugh when somebody starts a sentence with "They say" but this one's a classic...

[noitom]

11,000 "volunteers."

[sunshine51]

Seriously...I hope "they" get this going asap.

30 years without a cure or vaccine? Who or

what is behind that logic...the planet's <deleted>

Moral Majority? Nuff said.

[marcusd]

In Australia which has the worlds BEST practice and most successful trials... 31 % would be considered a total failure. Since when was the US MILITARY the foremost AUTHORITY ON HIV?. This is really new to me and this is MY AREA of expertise.

Now last year Australia gad a trial vaccine with 80% success with trials going to take a few more years.

It seems Thais are being used as a guinea pigs.... I am very suspicious. ....

[marcusd]

In Australia which has the worlds BEST practice and most successful trials... 31 % would be considered a total failure. Since when was the US MILITARY the foremost AUTHORITY ON HIV?. This is really new to me and this is MY AREA of expertise.

Now last year Australia gad a trial vaccine with 80% success with trials going to take a few more years.

It seems Thais are being used as a guinea pigs.... I am very suspicious. ....

[Emdog]

I was worried there might not be any USA bashing on this one, but I should never consider the USA won't get bashed if some members can find the slightest reason. Well played!

[geriatrickid]

In Australia which has the worlds BEST practice and most successful trials... 31 % would be considered a total failure. Since when was the US MILITARY the foremost AUTHORITY ON HIV?. This is really new to me and this is MY AREA of expertise.

Now last year Australia gad a trial vaccine with 80% success with trials going to take a few more years.

It seems Thais are being used as a guinea pigs.... I am very suspicious. ....

Since the USA has been one of the largest funders of R&D activity.

Neither China, nor Russia have done anything of significance in this matter. Nor have the wealthy arab gulf states.

The US military has also been a leader in R&D on malaria.

Keep in mind that the researchers at the army centres are often non military and that the research is often done in conjunction with civilian agencies.

Yes, 31% is a failure, but it was an encouraging development. It is better than nothing.

[geriatrickid]

Seriously...I hope "they" get this going asap.

30 years without a cure or vaccine? Who or

what is behind that logic...the planet's <deleted>

Moral Majority? Nuff said.

No, it's just the nature of a virus.

Is there a cure for the common cold yet? No.

Can genital herpes be cured? No.

All of the above afflict more people than HIV and a cure would be a massive money maker.

We still are very primitive when it comes to medical treatments.

[geriatrickid]

11,000 "volunteers."

The US sponsored trials have been conducted with the utmost compliance of ethical regulations. There has not been one valid complaint brought by any advocacy organization in respect to how the process has proceeded.

Thailand offers an advantage that few countries can: every year thousands of new conscripts enter the army. They provide a pool of subjects who can be tested and followed and used as a control group. The at risk groups who have volunteered were recruited after being offered the vaccine option. It was not forced on anyone.

[YeaBiGgiEs]

Imagine the $$billions$$ of lost PROFITS around the globe if in fact a cure/vaccine is found for anything. Big Pharma and governments will make sure cures are never found. There simply is no profit in healthy or dead people, but keep people needy, semi-healthy/sick and you have a customer for life.

Has anything been cured in the last 50+ years? They can't even cure acid reflux instead their solution is "take 1 pill a day" to prevent it. Yea right!

There was a recent article I read that bee venom has some agent that penetrates hiv and kills the bad cells.

Anything that saves money, is more efficient, takes away profits never seems to make it to the market. They are paid off and given hush money to never bring it up again.

[Bagwan]

There are many vaccines on the market that will keep an HIV infected person alive and relatively well. My wife was infected over 22 years ago and I know of others who have been infected even longer. To be accurate no CURE has been discovered - yet. One of the prime problems that Thailand , and other countries, face is the dearth of medical practitioners who know what they are doing.

[geriatrickid]

Imagine the $$billions$$ of lost PROFITS around the globe if in fact a cure/vaccine is found for anything. Big Pharma and governments will make sure cures are never found. There simply is no profit in healthy or dead people, but keep people needy, semi-healthy/sick and you have a customer for life.

Has anything been cured in the last 50+ years? They can't even cure acid reflux instead their solution is "take 1 pill a day" to prevent it. Yea right!

There was a recent article I read that bee venom has some agent that penetrates hiv and kills the bad cells.

Anything that saves money, is more efficient, takes away profits never seems to make it to the market. They are paid off and given hush money to never bring it up again.

Rubbish.

How do you expect a cure for acid reflux which is most often a normal physical result of ingesting irritants. One of the biggest culprits in the cause of the distress is caffeine, a toxin that causes the body to react. Another culprit is over eating. Want a cure? Cut back on products that have caffeine and don't over eat.

Nothing cured? Apparently, you haven't seen the results of some treatments in respect to once lethal illnesses. The most recent successful treatment was in respect to sand fly induced parasitic infections.

We haven't even begun to understand the genetic structures of many viruses, and yet you expect there to be a cure to what are essentially highly complex, and highly evolving entities. Remember gonorrhoea? It used to be an easily treatable and curable bacterial infection. Not anymore. It wasn't the drug companies that were responsible for that.

I saw an article too that bleach can kill HIV. Should we inject patients with bleach?

[Bagwan]

At the risk of being labelled a Thai basher I wonder just what input Thailand makes towards finding a cure for HIV/AIDS, apart from providing guinea pigs of course. Of the dozen of so doctors in Thailand specialising in the treatment of HIV infected patients who know what they are about, not all are Thai. Some commitment, eh? If Thailand has produced a researcher capable of operating at the sharp end of finding a cure then I would have expected him/her to be based in the US where the rewards would be far greater. I view the headline and report as more Government feel good BS.

[orchis]

There are many vaccines on the market that will keep an HIV infected person alive and relatively well. My wife was infected over 22 years ago and I know of others who have been infected even longer. To be accurate no CURE has been discovered - yet. One of the prime problems that Thailand , and other countries, face is the dearth of medical practitioners who know what they are doing.

No. These are not vaccines, these are medications. eg. NNRTI's , NRTI's, PI's always in a combination of 3 different drugs.

[Bagwan]

There are many vaccines on the market that will keep an HIV infected person alive and relatively well. My wife was infected over 22 years ago and I know of others who have been infected even longer. To be accurate no CURE has been discovered - yet. One of the prime problems that Thailand , and other countries, face is the dearth of medical practitioners who know what they are doing.

No. These are not vaccines, these are medications. eg. NNRTI's , NRTI's, PI's always in a combination of 3 different drugs.

You are correct. Medication is not the same as vaccine. For once I didn't stop to think.

[YeaBiGgiEs]

Imagine the $$billions$$ of lost PROFITS around the globe if in fact a cure/vaccine is found for anything. Big Pharma and governments will make sure cures are never found. There simply is no profit in healthy or dead people, but keep people needy, semi-healthy/sick and you have a customer for life.

Has anything been cured in the last 50+ years? They can't even cure acid reflux instead their solution is "take 1 pill a day" to prevent it. Yea right!

There was a recent article I read that bee venom has some agent that penetrates hiv and kills the bad cells.

Anything that saves money, is more efficient, takes away profits never seems to make it to the market. They are paid off and given hush money to never bring it up again.

Rubbish.

How do you expect a cure for acid reflux which is most often a normal physical result of ingesting irritants. One of the biggest culprits in the cause of the distress is caffeine, a toxin that causes the body to react. Another culprit is over eating. Want a cure? Cut back on products that have caffeine and don't over eat.

Nothing cured? Apparently, you haven't seen the results of some treatments in respect to once lethal illnesses. The most recent successful treatment was in respect to sand fly induced parasitic infections.

We haven't even begun to understand the genetic structures of many viruses, and yet you expect there to be a cure to what are essentially highly complex, and highly evolving entities. Remember gonorrhoea? It used to be an easily treatable and curable bacterial infection. Not anymore. It wasn't the drug companies that were responsible for that.

I saw an article too that bleach can kill HIV. Should we inject patients with bleach?

Sure, bleach kills HIV so does air. Sorry I don't buy into a lot of what I am told I should believe. I'm certainly capable of thinking myself and drawing my own conclusions. We are only told what what we are supposed to know. Sars, then bird flu, then pig flu? I wonder which government was responsible for making those and testing them on its citizens.

And now the MMR vaccine has been found to cause autism? Aint that nice. Governments mandating that you vaccine your child or face criminal charges?

In the past few months we have had several teenagers find extremely cost efficient ways for early detection of various cancers. Yet $Millions$ in donations and scientists holding high degrees have made little progress. Please note, my opinions here are based on the actions of the USA. Just this past March, I believe the patent for VIAGRA had expired which then allowed generics to hit the market in the USA to ensure that the company made profits on their investment, yet generics have been available elsewhere in the world for over a decade. LOL I can go on, but I won't. I live my life by my rules, my laws and my logic regardless of whatever culture I happen to be in. If it does not make sense to me, I will challenge its existence.

And I am YeaBiGgiEs