HIV vaccine shows promise for first time

An experimental vaccine prevented HIV infections for the first time, a breakthrough that has eluded scientists for a quarter century, according to a report on www.bloomberg.com.



A United States-funded study involving more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand found that a combination of ALVAC, made by Paris- based Sanofi-Aventis SA, and AIDSVAX, from VaxGen Inc., of South San Francisco, cut infections by 31.2 percent in the people who received it compared with those on a placebo, scientists said today in Bangkok.



Neither vaccine had stopped the virus that causes AIDS when tested separately in previous studies.



The finding represents a revival in a campaign that appeared to stall just two years ago when use of Merck & Company\'s experimental Ad5 vaccine boosted some people\'s chances of infection in a study.



According to Mitchell Warren, director of the New York-based AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, this does not mean the vaccine can be delivered worldwide, because of the complexity of the process and the fact that it is based on old technology.



Instead they will serve to spur scientists to look for better combinations in more user-friendly regimens with higher success rates, he added.