Comments on: Merck’s HIV Vaccine May Have Raised Infection Risk

By: wak

wak — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:22:30 +0000

I was apart of this test and became HIV poz and strongly believe it broke my immune system down and left me open to get HIV and i wounder what else it might have don to my body after each shot i had very bad side affects alot of them! each time i was reviewed I would teel them and then said that i dont wont to take no more shots and wanted to end my participation they keep calling me and teeling me it was just side afects nothing to worry about i wish i would have listen to my inter self! i did stop but not before all my shots but not to mention future problems besides hiv dos anybody know any other problems besides hiv thank you

By: Friday Blog Roundup « The Pump Handle

Friday Blog Roundup « The Pump Handle — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:43:48 +0000

[...] Ed Silverman at Pharmalot has the latest on Merckâ€™s failed HIV vaccine, which seems to have made some clinical trial participantsâ€™ immune systems more vulnerable. [...]

By: Jack

Jack — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:56:53 +0000

Interesting and unfortunate.

Do we know if the 21 cases in the active treatment group is statistically higher than the 9 who received placebo, or is it just not a statistical improvement compared to the placebo?

The immune systems a funny system, and activation of some components of the immune system serve to down regulate it. I wonder if this vaccine, or vaccine formulation, preferentially triggered the immunosuppresent side of the immune system. But it still seems most likely to me the vaccine just doesn’t work, and that the higher number of cases in the active group is just an anomaly.

By: Cary

Cary — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:32:33 +0000

With the way things are going at the FDA, if they sent the vaccine in today it would probably get approved. I would like to know how these people were propositioned for this study.

Study rep: “You will be financially compensated for your time and money during the study period and will receive all medication and data related to the trail at no expense. The study period will last 15 to 20 weeks and there is a chance of becoming HIV (cough!!) positive.”