AIDSWEEKLY Plus, Monday, 10 March 1997
Daniel J. DeNoon, Senior Editor
Anti-HIV hyperimmune serum is safe and may be effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in Africa.
Preliminary results from a Phase I/II trial show that a Ugandan HIV immunoglobulin (Ig) product had no serious toxicity after a single infusion given to mothers at 37-38 weeks' gestation and to infants within their first 16 hours of life.
None of the first eight infants to reach six weeks of age has any sign of HIV infection as tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and/or virus culture.
J.B. Jackson of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, reported the findings at the Fourth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, held January 22-26 in Washington, D.C.
"This HIVIG preparation appears to be safe and well tolerated at the 50 mg/kg IV dose with little change in maternal CD4 and RNA levels," wrote Jackson and colleagues in their presentation abstract. The collaborative study was undertaken by researchers from Johns Hopkins; Makerere University, Uganda; Nakasero Blood Bank, Uganda; and Karolinska University, Sweden.
Thirty HIV seropositive Ugandan women are enrolled in the study. The first ten participants received a 50 mg/kg infusion of the HIV hyperimmune serum, obtained from healthy HIV seropositive donors.
Two of the ten mothers had grade 1 or 2 blood-pressure changes and two of the ten infants had grade 2 fevers. All of these reactions resolved without incident.
Average baseline maternal CD4 counts (493 cells/(micro)L) and HIV viral load (34,186 RNA copies/mL) were not changed.
The study is continuing, with the next ten mother/child participants each receiving a 200 mg/kg infusions and final ten each scheduled to receive a 400 mg/kg infusion.
970310
AW970304
Copyright © 1997 - Charles Henderson, Publisher. All rights Reserved. Permission to reproduce granted to AEGIS by Charles W. Henderson. Authorization to reproduce for personal use granted granted by C. W. Henderson, Publisher, provided that the fee of US$4.50 per copy, per page is paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center, 27 Congress Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970, USA.
Published by Charles Henderson, Publisher. Editorial & Publishing Office: P.O. Box 5528, Atlanta, GA 30307-0528 / Telephone: (800) 633-4931; Subscription Office: P.O. Box 830409, Birmingham, AL 35283-0409 / FAX: (205) 995-1588 http://www.newsfile.com
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, 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 ©1990, 2000. AEGiS & the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. 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 ÆGIS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.