A vaccine still in the first phase of clinical trials would suggest record efficacy against HIV.
- In France, 173,000 people are living with HIV.
- This virus affects the immune defences, that is, it prevents the body from defending itself against diseases.
“It is the most effective experimental HIV vaccine to date.” In a tweet relayed by BFM TV, Dr. Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija expressed her satisfaction about a study on an experimental vaccine that would help fight HIV.
The research was conducted by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the Scripps Research Institute. 48 people were included in the study cohort, then divided into two groups. The first half was given a placebo, while the others received two doses of the experimental vaccine.
So-called “neutralizing” antibodies
Conclusion: of the 24 people vaccinated, 23 developed so-called antibodies “neutralizers”, i.e. 97% of participants truly immunized. “This study provides evidence for a new concept in an HIV vaccine, one that could also be applied to other pathogens,” infers immunologist William Schief in the journal European Pharmaceutical Review.
On BFM TV, Olivier Schwartz, director of the virus and immunity unit at the Pasteur Institute, warns: “It doesn’t mean they are protected against HIV, it’s really premature to say that, but it does indicate that the vaccine construct looks immunogenic.”
