Vaccine for Genital Herpes Holds Promise

Phase III studies of a vaccine for two common types of herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) have shown mixed results, demonstrating that the vaccine prevented infection in many women but showing no effect in men. The study was published in the November 21, 2002, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

The study included 978 women and 1,736 men free of HSV-1 or HSV-2 but whose partners had genital herpes. For reasons researchers do not yet understand, the vaccine prevented herpes disease in more than 70% of the women but had no clear effect in men. While the disease is not serious for adults, it can have severe consequences for neonates. Many get the virus from their mothers at birth and without aggressive treatment, about half of them die.

A new efficacy trial is now being launched that will enroll 7,550 women in at least 16 sites in the United States to test this same vaccine. The trial is being sponsored by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (London, UK), the manufacturer of the vaccine. The vaccine is a subunit vaccine containing a piece of the HSV outer coat along with adjuvants, which help boost the immune system for a better response. The volunteers in the trial will be vaccinated at the start of the trial and again at one and six months afterward. The volunteers will be followed for 20 months following initial vaccination.




Related Links:
The New England Journal of Medicine
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases