THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 7, 1996 TAG: 9606070447
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 59 lines
Hampton Roads will be one of 50 nationwide test sites for a vaccine that may prevent people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus - HIV - from developing AIDS.
The vaccine, Remune, works by marshaling the body's immune system to fight the virus and cells invaded by the virus, said officials at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
In theory, it might help the immune system hold the invader at bay, allowing the patient to live out a normal life span without developing AIDS, said Dr. Alan D. Wilson, assistant professor of internal medicine, who will conduct the EVMS trials.
EVMS' participation means that some local residents will have access to the cutting-edge treatment. Virginia's Eastern Region, which includes Hampton Roads, has more people infected with HIV than any other part of the state - 3,208 as of the end of 1995.
The vaccine is the latest in a wave of new medicine - fruits of research started years ago - that has allowed people with HIV to live longer and enjoy a better quality of life.
Other drugs available, such as AZT, interfere with the replication of the virus.
The vaccine, if it works, would be a much more efficient treatment than other drugs because it would use the body's own resources, Wilson said. It also would likely be less toxic than some drugs available now, which can have unpleasant side effects.
``We're looking at the body itself controlling the disease,'' he said.
Remune is a ``therapeutic vaccine,'' given as a treatment to people who have become infected but who have not gotten AIDS. It differs from commonly known vaccines, such as those for polio, that are given to prevent infection.
The Immune Response Corporation of Carlsbad, Calif., which developed the vaccine, plans to enroll 50 local people in the trial. However, if a large number of people with HIV express interest in participating, the company may make more spaces available, said Ginny Sealey, program assistant with the Eastern Regional AIDS Resource Center at EVMS.
Half of the participants in the three-year study will get an injection of the vaccine combined with another substance that enhances immune system response. The other people will receive only the second substance. It will be a double-blind study, which means neither the patients nor their doctors will know who is getting the vaccine. The study's organizers will keep track of which patients get the vaccine and monitor their progress in comparison to those who don't.
If after six or nine months those receiving the vaccine do significantly better than the control group, the company likely will allow all participants to have the vaccine, Wilson said.
Remune has shown promise in earlier studies involving about 300 people. This will be its first large-scale trial, involving about 2,500 people.
AIDS is a fatal disease that attacks the body's immune system. MEMO: Study shows AIDS can be spread through oral sex/A8
KEYWORDS: AIDS DRUG TESTING by CNB