Trial collaborators present results from Prime-Boost HIV Vaccine Clinical Trial

Detailed results from the Prime-Boost HIV Vaccine Clinical Trial involving more than 16,000 adult volunteers in Thailand show that an investigational HIV vaccine regimen was safe and modestly effective at reducing the rate of HIV infection compared to placebo. These results were presented today by the trial collaborators to researchers gathered at the AIDS Vaccine 2009 Conference in Paris, France and published online by The New England Journal of Medicine.

"This is the first evidence that a prime-boost HIV vaccine regimen may prevent infection and represents a significant step forward for vaccine research," said Colonel Nelson Michael, Director, Division of Retrovirology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and Director, U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP). "While it will not likely have any immediate public health benefit, we are hopeful that the findings will guide additional studies and accelerate research efforts toward a more effective vaccine."

According to the collaborating partners, the prime-boost combination of ALVAC HIV and AIDSVAX B/E appeared to lower the rate of HIV infection by 31.2 percent compared to placebo based on the modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population>

"Experts are interpreting the results and planning additional studies to maximize the knowledge gained from this study. Our first step is to see if we are able to determine correlates of protection," said Colonel Jerome Kim, Deputy Director (Science), MHRP and the HIV vaccines product manager for the U.S. Army. "Observations will inform future basic research, non-human primate and clinical studies to build on the RV144 result."

"All of this together emphasizes the opportunities these trial results afford - a new vantage point to examine what we understand about vaccine design, immunogenicity testing and animal models," added Colonel Kim. "Further research is required to determine if immunological mechanisms mediating protection against HIV may be different from those that control viral replication."

The trial results, first announced by trial collaborators on September 24, 2009, are based on the mITT population, which is the most clinically relevant analysis for this proof-of-concept study. Data from the mITT population, which was monitored by the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board during its periodic review of the study, include all volunteers who entered the study less seven individuals who were already HIV infected on the first day of vaccination. "Given that you cannot protect someone from an infection that they already have acquired, the modified intent-to-treat analysis excluded these individuals," said Michael.

The detailed study data, which were embargoed for release before the AIDS Vaccine 2009 Conference and The New England Journal of Medicine publication, provide analyses of multiple data subgroups including ITT and per protocol (PP), their definitions and results.