Johns Hopkins begins HIV inoculations
The Center for Immunization Research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health last month began inoculating volunteers in the North American trial of AIDSVAX, the first-ever vaccine against HIV to be tested in Phase III human clinical trials, at DC General Hospital in Washington, DC. The vaccine unit at DC General is the third to participate in the trial sponsored by VaxGen Inc., the developer of AIDSVAX.
The North American Phase III trial got under way in July at clinics in Philadelphia and St. Louis and is projected to expand to 30 to 40 clinics and 5,000 volunteers at risk for HIV infection. Phase III studies are designed to test the vaccine's efficacy in a real-life setting. Trial participants will be selected from among volunteers who are at risk for HIV infection but currently uninfected. Over the course of 30 months, volunteers will be given seven injections, but neither volunteers nor researchers will know which volunteers are given the vaccine and which receive a placebo (inactive substance).
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