Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.

———————————————————————

July 02, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"VaxGen Set to Pull Plug on AIDS Vaccine Trial"

Nation (Thailand) (www.nationmultimedia.com) (07/02/03)

With the California biotechnology company VaxGen considering ending its Thailand-based trial of an experimental AIDS vaccine before the study is completed, U.S. officials and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are working hard to find a way to keep the trial going, so that scientists might gather additional and more complete information about the deadly disease and the vaccine in question.  Dr. Kajit Choopanya, the lead researcher for the VaxGen trial in Thailand, said that he hoped other organizations would come through with funding if VaxGen decides to pull out, noting that "we have been doing it for five years and the rate of follow-up [of volunteers] was more than 90 percent."  There is no indication that VaxGen will definitely end its involvement in the study, but Peggy Johnstone, director of the vaccine and prevention research program for the U.S. National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, says that the trial must be continued at all reasonable cost, because ending the study now would undermine efforts to line up future vaccine or drug trials in developing countries.  So far, VaxGen has stated that it does not want to end the trial, but that it lacks the resources to complete all of the analysis involved after the trial, so the data might be useless unless other funding arrives.