February 22, 2001 NEW YORK (AP) - Pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck & Co. has begun a small-scale human trial of a new experimental HIV vaccine, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
The new vaccine has been able to prevent laboratory monkeys exposed to an extremely virulent strain of the disease from contracting it, sources close to the trials told the Journal. This has AIDS scientists watching the results of the trials very closely.
The company would not discuss the details of the laboratory trials, but did say it began testing the vaccine in healthy, uninfected volunteers last week.
The drug is not the first possible vaccine to go into human trials. At least a dozen other companies are currently experimenting with a possible vaccine, but scientists familiar with the Merck trials say that their drug is among the most promising.
Merck official said they were reluctant to release any details regarding the trials before making a formal presentation at a scientific forum in April, lest publicity raise false hopes.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
