A new HIV vaccine is soon to be clinically tested that could potentially prevent the disease in the country, if an application by the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to the SA Health Products Regulation Authority gets the green light, according to a Cape Argus report. The trial – PrEPVacc – seeks to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a number of vaccine components versus a placebo to prevent HIV infection.
The study would enrol a minimum of 1,668 eligible adults aged 18 to 40 through collaborating clinical research centres in four countries: South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. Asked how significant the trials are for the country, SAMRC president and CEO Professor Glenda Gray said: “All the countries taking part in PrEPVacc are committed to reducing and ultimately stopping all new HIV infections, and a successful HIV vaccine is crucial for prevention.”
The report says if the trials succeed, they would be an effective vaccination strategy, offering life-long protection against HIV infection and reducing the global healthcare burden of treating the disease and its co-morbidities.
Desmond Tutu HIV Centre director Professor Linda-Gail Bekker said: “It’s not a race, we want to find a drug that works.”
[link url="https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/new-hiv-vaccine-could-soon-be-clinically-tested-in-sa-41428704"]Full Cape Argus report[/link]