AIDS Vaccine to be tested in SA

BLIXEMPIE

BLIXEMPIE

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A possible AIDS vaccine, developed by South African researchers, in conjunction with US researchers, will go on clinical trials in SA on healthy patients. Some trials have already started in the US. This is a major boost for a developing country whose leaders have once denied the existance of AIDS, and recommended non-scientific "cures" for the virus.

http://m.24.com/content/FullArticle...fdaeeb39a673&cat=South Africa&sh=South Africa

I read that they said that they will test the vaccine on healthy people. How will they then determine if the vaccine works or not? Are they going to try and infect them with AIDS?
 
BLIXEMPIE said:
A possible AIDS vaccine, developed by South African researchers, in conjunction with US researchers, will go on clinical trials in SA on healthy patients. Some trials have already started in the US. This is a major boost for a developing country whose leaders have once denied the existance of AIDS, and recommended non-scientific "cures" for the virus.

http://m.24.com/content/FullArticle...fdaeeb39a673&cat=South Africa&sh=South Africa

I read that they said that they will test the vaccine on healthy people. How will they then determine if the vaccine works or not? Are they going to try and infect them with AIDS?
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They'll probably measure antibody titres to see if the body is producing antibodies against the virus.
 
BLIXEMPIE said:
I read that they said that they will test the vaccine on healthy people. How will they then determine if the vaccine works or not? Are they going to try and infect them with AIDS?
Click to expand...

They will select people at risk and provide them with the vaccine or placebo (injection of water). The participants will receive regular HIV risk reduction counseling before and during the trial. They will tell the people that the vaccine is experimental (may not work), they may be receiving it or a placebo (no effect at all) and that they must try to protect themselves at all times (via reduction in number of sex partners, condoms, cutting on alcohol and drugs, early treatment for STI, possible circumcision etc).

At the end the statistics will tell. You'll have two groups of people - one on vaccine and other on placebo and if the number of new infections in vaccine group is statistically significantly less - this suggests that the vaccine is efficacious (works).

That's why they'll test this on a large number of people - if they only took 10 people, some may take the counseling to heart and become 'virgins'
but with large numbers some people will always practice less safe sex no matter how many condoms and how much counseling you provide them, that's inevitable. The point is that they won't give them a shot and tell them to fornicate, that won't happen.
 
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Serqet said:
Surely this makes more sense PeterCH?
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No. The antibodies may not be protective. The current HIV test right now is an antibody test - it tests for antibodies to HIV proteins. These antibodies are not protective either.
 
I'd also like to add that therapeutic vaccines against HIV are also being tested all over the world. These are different to preventative vaccines as they are given to people already infected with the virus.
 
Serqet said:
Have any of them been proven to be at all successful?
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Some therapeutic vaccines may be promising. They won't cure you of HIV but possibly prolong the time until one has to go onto treatment (ART).

A similar concept to preventive vaccination is the concept of preventative pre-exposure prophylaxis: taking ART on a daily, twice-weekly or weekly basis to
reduce the risk of acquiring HIV. This concept has been proven to be successful in animal studies.
 
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Wow that's interesting! Hectic to think though that some day people might be taking ART drugs daily to prevent contracting the disease.
 
Serqet said:
Wow that's interesting! Hectic to think though that some day people might be taking ART drugs daily to prevent contracting the disease.
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Well the problem is that barrier methods hamper intimacy and fail when it comes to spontaneity of sexual relationships. If someone were to take a tablet on a daily basis and that were to work, that would reduce the operator failure factor of condoms - eg drunk horny people have hardly time to put on a condom before they do the deed.
 
"Wow that's interesting! Hectic to think though that some day people might be taking ART drugs daily to prevent contracting the "

Pfizer's dream come true. Take a daily pill and be on your way.
 
PeterCH said:
Well the problem is that barrier methods hamper intimacy and fail when it comes to spontaneity of sexual relationships. If someone were to take a tablet on a daily basis and that were to work, that would reduce the operator failure factor of condoms - eg drunk horny people have hardly time to put on a condom before they do the deed.
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Indeed but it's like birth control pills. Would people sometimes forget to take them? Happens to a lot of women already.
 
Aeron said:
"Wow that's interesting! Hectic to think though that some day people might be taking ART drugs daily to prevent contracting the "

Pfizer's dream come true. Take a daily pill and be on your way.
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Exactly Aeron and that is frightening. Can you imagine the sort of money they would make
 
Exactly Aeron and that is frightening. Can you imagine the sort of money they would make"

A cure for AIDS will never ever be found. Simply because "treatment" every day of your life is much more profitable for them.
 
Cue a book plug :D
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Science-Ben-Goldacre/dp/000728487X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248094256&sr=8-1"]Bad Science[/ame]
 
Aeron said:
Exactly Aeron and that is frightening. Can you imagine the sort of money they would make"

A cure for AIDS will never ever be found. Simply because "treatment" every day of your life is much more profitable for them.
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*nods*
 
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