ASI Welcomes AIDS Vaccine Trial

February 10, 2005

AIDS SOCIETY OF INDIA (ASI)

PRESS RELEASE/Feb. 10, 2005: ASI WELCOMES BEGINNING OF AIDS VACCINE TRIAL

Aids Society of India (ASI), a professional body of doctors and researchers

engaged in the field of HIV/AIDS, whole-heartedly welcomes the beginning of of

the AIDS vaccine trial in Pune, as it is definitely a forward-looking step by

the Indian Government. The vaccine candidate named tgAAC09 (recombinant

adeno–associated viral vector, rAAV), is designed by Targeted Genetics Corp and

Columbus Children’s Research Institute (CCRI) in USA designed the vaccine

candidate in partnership with Intl. AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). It will help

save millions of lives at stake of HIV infection, if found effective. Modified

Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) multi-epitope candidate vaccine, developed by India, is

ready for similar trial.

ASI would however like to caution to people, both HIV infected and uninfected,

that though such incidents are news-worthy, but they have little practical

imposition for immediate purpose or even a decade from now. People might

continue their risk-taking behaviours, under the false sense of security of the

‘hypothetical’ vaccine. ASI office-bearers are flooded with calls for getting a

‘vaccine’, ever since the Pune-trial was announced in media. Taking advantage,

unscrupulous people might start looting gullible people by offering some

spurious injections.

Conventionally there are two types of vaccines- a preventive one that helps

prevent a particular infection in healthy persons on repeated exposures to -a

virus or bacteria; the other for Immunotherapy (treatment) for an infected

person to prevent further harm. Globally, there are some 90 candidate AIDS

vaccines; which have been tried for prevention as well as treatment ever since

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS was isolated in 1984. With renowned scientists

like Jonas Salk, credited for making Salk Polio Vaccine, being players ,

hundreds of trials over last two decades costing millions, failed to identify a

single successful vaccine. The most ambitious, widely publicized and one of the

largest trial, of AIDSVAX made by VaxGen, miserably failed in its outcome in

2003 at the end of five years, both in Uganda and Thailand. Hence, we should not

be too optimistic about any of the candidate vaccines, though continuing our

research pursuits.

Dr.I.S.Gilada, Secretary General, ASI

Secretariat: Unison Medicare & Research Centre, Maharukh Mansion, Alibhai Premji

Marg, Grant Road (E), Mumbai- 400007, Tel: 23061616; Fax: 23000016;

E-mail: gilada@...; Website: www.india-aids.org

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