A United States study of an experimental HIV vaccination was shut down Thursday due to the drugs apparent ineffectiveness, according to CBS News.
The “HVTN 505 clinical trial,” which began in 2009, included 2,500 participants spread throughout 19 cities. The participants were either men who had sex with men or transgender individuals who had sex with men.
One half of the participants of were administered the National Institutes of Health’s drug, while the others were given placebo shots.
On April 22, a safety review uncovered 41 cases of HIV in vaccinated participants. To make matters worse, the review only uncovered 30 cases of HIV in participants who had received the placebo shots.
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infection, there was not a more significant risk for vaccinated participants than participants who received the placebo shots. This means that the results from the review may have happened by chance.
The NIH released a statement about the shutdown on their website:
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, will stop administering injections in its HVTN 505 clinical trial of an investigational HIV vaccine regimen because an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) found during a scheduled interim review that the vaccine regimen did not prevent HIV infection nor reduce viral load (the amount of HIV in the blood) among vaccine recipients who became infected with HIV
HIV, officially named Human immunodeficiency virus, leads to Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. According to WebMD.com, “HIV/AIDS weakens a person’s ability to fight infections and cancer.”
Despite the failed attempt the NIH will continue to work towards a vaccination.
“NIAID remains committed to the pursuit of a highly effective, preventive HIV vaccine as part of a multifaceted HIV prevention research program," the agency said in a statement,” the statement reads. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is a branch of the NIH.
