Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press; 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020 - Sunday, September 21, 1997; 8:49 p.m. EDT
The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, based in Chicago, wants to conduct the test involving about 50 volunteers. The group intends to talk with National Institutes of Health officials about the idea.
Gordon Nary, executive director of the Chicago group and one of the trial's volunteers, said the risks of being in the study are diminished by what can be learned from it.
AIDS vaccine development is a slow process because of the safety measures and rigorous animal testing needed before injecting humans with a trial vaccine.
"Vaccine development has really dragged on because there is an assumption by conservative scientists that people won't step up and do this," Nary said.
AIDS research efforts have focused on vaccines that do not involve a live virus because of fear that even a weakened, live human immunodeficiency virus strain might be capable of causing AIDS or other problems.
"I'm not ... suicidal," Nary said. "There are 1,000 HIV-infected babies born daily. If there is a risk of HIV infection (during vaccine trials) -- which I don't think is significant -- it's overwhelmingly outbalanced by the fact that there isn't anyone who has worked with these babies who isn't going to do it."
Dr. Mark Grabowsky of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is skeptical of the proposed study and says it's premature to talk about injecting healthy people with a live vaccine.
Nonetheless, Grabowsky said: "I admire them. That kind of activism can't help but be inspiring. But the scientific questions still remain."
Grabowsky said he has invited the group to discuss the project with him and other scientists next week at the National Institutes of Health offices in Rockville, Md.
The Chicago group wants approval from the Food and Drug Administration but promises to go on even if they don't receive an OK from the FDA, said Dr. Charles Farthing, the study's leader and medical director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles.
The group can proceed with its trial without FDA approval by containing its study to one state or conducting it in Europe.
Meanwhile on Saturday, prominent AIDS researcher David Ho told the 2,500 people gathered in Miami Beach, Fla., for the U.S. Conference on AIDS that researchers are developing protease drugs that would be taken once a day -- instead of the current regimen of dozens of pills several times a day. Trials involving patients could begin within six months, he said.
The combination drug therapies have been widely successful in making the virus undetectable in some people's bloodstreams.
Ho reported that he and his colleagues have discovered tiny, dogged traces of virus in bits of lymph tissues, the very heart of the immune system.
"We still don't know whether it's feasible to eradicate HIV, mainly because we don't know if it's feasible to eradicate the last residual bit of virus," Ho told an audience that hailed him with gusto typically reserved for a rock star. "Where we are is sort of at the endgame, like a chess game. But the endgame could be as tough as any part of the game."
Ho is the New York virologist who was named Time magazine's 1996 Man of the Year for his pioneering AIDS work.
Copyright 1997/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
970921
AP970912
Copyright © 1997 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1997. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1997. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .