The Wall Street Journal - 02 Dec 1992
Marilyn Chase, Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

The vaccines were genetically engineered by Genentech Inc. of South San Francisco, Calif., and by Biocine, an Emeryville, Calif., joint venture of Chiron Corp. and Ciba-Geigy. Both products appeared free of unwanted side effects in earlier safety trials.

What's different about this trial is its size and its focus upon populations at risk. Researchers hope to recruit 320 uninfected men and women ages 18 to 60 to volunteer at one of five test sites in Seattle, Baltimore, St. Louis, Nashville, Tenn., and Rochester, N.Y.

Scientists are especially inviting minorities and other groups hard-hit by the virus to take part. Medical ethics dictate that all volunteers be counseled to avoid unprotected sexual and drug-taking behavior that puts them at risk of infection.

The test is also significant because it involves vaccines against two common strains of the AIDS virus, known as MN and SF2, rather than a laboratory strain used in many prior studies. The two vaccines will be weighed against a placebo, providing a more solid basis for comparing results.

"We are pleased that progress in HIV vaccine research allows us to move these products into the first Phase II trial of prophylactic candidate HIV vaccines," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The agency will continue to work with Genentech and Biocine as trials progress toward full-scale efficacy studies.

"Previous safety trials were in people deliberately chosen to be at low risk of AIDS," Dr. Fauci added. "This population will more closely reflect people who would ultimately be candidates for a preventative vaccine. Its not an efficacy trial, but it's the next step in the evolution toward an efficacy trial."

Daniel Hoth, director of the agency's AIDS division, said an ideal vaccine must stimulate the body to martial an array of infection-fighting antibodies and killer cells with the "intensity, duration and breadth to prevent the virus from causing disease."

However, experts acknowledge that's a tall order, due to the dizzying variety of HIV strains, the virus's power to mutate swiftly, and its ability to infect people simultaneously with more than one strain.

The new trial follows the recent controversy over a $20 million military appropriation, awarded after heavy lobbying, to MicroGeneSys of Meriden, Conn., to test its therapeutic vaccine in people already infected by HIV.

In late over-the-counter trading, Chiron shares were quoted at $56.625, up 87.5 cents. Genentech was quoted at $37.875, down 37.5 cents, in late New York Stock Exchange trading.

921202
WJ921202

Copyright © 1992 - The Wall Street Journal. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the WSJ Permissions Desk.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1992. 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, 1992. 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. .