
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 21, 1994                   TAG: 9402210129
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Boston Globe
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO                                LENGTH: Short

ETHICS QUESTIONS RAISED IN TESTING OF AIDS VACCINE

Bioethicists expressed concern Sunday about mounting pressure to begin testing experimental vaccines against the AIDS virus in developing countries, despite sharp disagreement over how to conduct such trials ethically.

The urgency of the global AIDS epidemic, combined with the commercial agendas of vaccine manufacturers, could override the intentions of such groups as the World Health Organization to protect the rights of research subjects, they said.

Adding to worries about premature testing are recent reports that vaccines that appear promising under laboratory circumstances may be less effective outside the lab. Because of differences among viruses, this could be particularly troublesome, members of the bioethical panel said, if a vaccine initially tested in the United States is administered to populations in other countries.

"We need a public discussion about these questions before beginning these trials," said Dr. Reidar Lie, a physician and biomedical ethicist from the University of Oslo, who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

There is no cure or preventive vaccine for human immunodeficiency virus, which leads to AIDS. At present, the only tests of HIV vaccines on human subjects are being carried out in a few cities in the United States and abroad. In the tests, volunteers receive small doses to test vaccines for safety and side effects. However, discussions about further testing to determine the effectiveness of vaccines are under way in several developing countries designated by the World Health Organization.

by CNB