World’s most promising HIV vaccine fails

By Adeyeye Joseph
Published: Friday, 28 Sep 2007

Disappointment is too mild a word to describe the reaction of health stakeholders after international pharmaceutical giant, Merck, announced a halt to the world’s most acclaimed HIV vaccine trial last week.

Analysts have described the development as the single biggest blow to the two-decade effort by the international health community to find a vaccine that will either protect against HIV infection or stem its heavy toll. But they are also quick to draw parallels between this setback and others that beset great scientific quests in the past, saying all hopes are not lost. Experts say there are at least 30 advanced ongoing research works that are geared towards the prevention of new infection or helping People Living With HIV/AIDS live longer and better lives.

Merck, which had plans to introduce the vaccine, HVTN 502, into the market in 2012, said it discontinued the trial because the vaccine was ‘not effective’.

“The trial, called STEP, was an international phase II “test of concept” trial in uninfected volunteers at high risk for acquiring HIV infection. The independent (United States) Data Safety Monitoring Board for STEP reviewed safety data and results of an interim efficacy analysis of the study, and recommended that vaccination be discontinued because the STEP trial will not meet its efficacy endpoints,” the statement, which is also available on the pharmaceutical firm’s website, said.

The United Nations estimates the number of PLWHAs worldwide to be 40million and says about 25m people have died from AIDS-related complications. Experts say this number would have been higher but for the modest gains made in the global fight against the virus. Last week, the Relationship Manager of the National Agency for the Control of Aids, Ekeoma Uwaoma, said Nigeria had the third highest number of PLWHAs in the world, after South Africa and India.

Prior to this week’s discontinuation of the trials, experts have variously described HVTN 502 as one of the most advanced vaccines ever made and expressed hopes that its use would usher in an era of significant gains in the fight against AIDS. Although the drug was not expected to enter the market until 2012, expectations were that it would boost the fight before then since the full result was expected to be made public next year.

But the DSMB discovered 24 new cases of HIV infection among the 741 volunteers who received at least one dose of the candidate vaccine compared with 21 cases among the 762 volunteers who were vaccinated with placebo.

Funding for the project, which came from multiple sources, bespeaks the kind of collaborative efforts that have gone into fighting the AIDS pandemic. The clinical trial was co-sponsored by the United States’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health and Merck & Co. Inc. However, Merck developed the vaccine with the help of Biotech firm, Crucell, whose shares fell by 11 per cent as soon as the announcement was made.

Although a complex effort, the underlying idea behind the process is as simple as the process that has been used to develop vaccines down the ages. Actually, vaccines are weakened forms of the microorganisms they are produced to fight. They work by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies that fight pathogens (disease causing organisms) in the body. But previous efforts to produce an effective vaccine against the HIV virus have been stumped by the fast rate at which the virus mutates.

“Sadly, developing an effective AIDS vaccine remains one of the most challenging tasks facing modern medicine,” the President, Merck Research Laboratories, Peter Kim, said in the statement.

But experts thought HVTN 502 stood a chance because studies had shown that monkeys, which received the vaccine, lived longer despite being infected with a virus that operates just like HIV.

The researchers also toed this scientifically trodden path. They synthesized an HIV virus in the laboratory; weakened it until it could not give test candidate the real virus; and then introduced it into the bloodstream of test candidates. The candidates were people with high-risk behaviour, homosexuals and commercial sex workers.

According to Merck, the researchers did not expect the vaccine to prevent infection but had hoped, “that it might hinder the growth of the virus enough to delay the onset of full-blown AIDS and make it harder for an infected individual to transmit HIV to others, creating a stopgap while they searched for a more effective therapy. They must now must await the outcome of the next candidate in the pipeline of more than 30 products in clinical testing and mine the STEP data for clues on ways to develop one that works.”

The trials took place in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Africa and the United States.

But the search for a cure is not likely to be stopped by this setback. Merck, which has a 20-year old HIV-research programme and has made significant contributions to the fight against AIDS, has promised to trudge on.

Kim said, “While we are very disappointed that this vaccine candidate did not demonstrate protection, the data from this trial will provide critical insights into this disease and future vaccine development. We share in the disappointment of the research and HIV communities today.

“Merck’s 20-year HIV research program has led to improved scientific understanding of HIV and to true breakthrough medicines. We are committed to studying the data closely and sharing it with the scientific community to inform the on-going search for an effective HIV vaccine.”

The Fight against corruption still needs more hands on deck because at 33rd most corrupt, it is still too high we should not go to sleep, if not the figure will rise faster the the issue of HIV.

T HE latest edition of the world’s leading anticorruption report, the Corruption Perceptions Index, has ranked Nigeria as 147th of the 180 countries it surveyed for corruption. Counting from the bottom, Nigeria is revealed to be the 33rd most corrupt country of the lot.
The report, which was released on Wednesday, also showed that the level of corruption in the country had not undergone any significant change.

Prepared annually by the Berlin, Germany-based corruption watchdog, Transparency International, the report scored countries on a scale of zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels. This year’s score, a composite index that comprised 14 expert opinion surveys, revealed a strong link between corruption and poverty, as most of the low scoring countries were some of the world’s poorest.

Nigeria’s new rank, which is five steps below that of last year, would have signified a deterioration but for its composite score of 2.2, which is the same as last year’s.

Last year, Nigeria was ranked 146th of 163 countries.

This year, New Zealand, ranked first; Denmark, second; and Finland, third, were the world’s least corrupt countries. Iraq, ranked 178 th ; and Myanmar and Somalia, joint 179th, were the most corrupt. While New Zealand, Denmark and Finland scored 9.4 points each; Iraq had 1.5 and Somalia and Myanmar had 1.4.

But the report said both low and high performers needed to work jointly to stem global corruption.

“Criticism by rich countries of corruption in poor ones has little credibility while their financial institutions sit on wealth stolen from the world’s poorest people,” ViceChairman, TI, Akere Muna, said in a statement attached to the report.

The report named Nigeria and the Philippines as two countries where corrupt officials had used international financial institutions to siphon off public funds.

“Global financial centres play a pivotal role in allowing corrupt officials to move, hide and invest their illicitly gained wealth. Offshore financing, for example, played a crucial role in the looting of millions from developing countries such as Nigeria and the Philippines, facilitating the misdeeds of corrupt leaders and impoverishing those they governed,” it said.

The Chairman of TI, Huguette Labelle, said corruption remained an enormous drain on resources that were sorely needed for education, health and infrastructure in several countries. “Low scoring countries need to take these results seriously and act now to strengthen accountability in public institutions. But action from top scoring countries is just as important, particularly in cracking down on corrupt activity in the private sector,” it said.

Nigeria has always protested that the report is not indicative of the progress that has been made in recent times. But TI says the report is based on the perceptions of public sector corruption as measured by the opinions of businessmen, technocrats and other experts.

The report listed some African countries as having made significant progress. They included Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Swaziland. “These results reflect the positive progress of anti-corruption efforts in Africa and show that genuine political will and reform can lower perceived levels of corruption,” it said.

Outside Africa, countries with significant improvements include Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominica Republic, Italy, Macedonia, Romania and Suriname. However, it said that corruption had worsened in Austria, Bahrain, Belize, Bhutan, Jordan, Laos, Macao, Malta, Mauritius, Oman, Papua New Guinea and Thailand.

“Low scores in the CPI indicate that public institutions are heavily compromised. The first order of business is to improve transparency in financial management, from revenue collection to expenditure, as well as strengthening oversight and putting an end to the impunity of corrupt officials,” Labelle said.

The report advised countries with low scores to improve transparency in financial management in areas like revenue collection and expenditure, and end impunity among corrupt officials. “Partnering with civil society and citizens is another essential strategy for developing countries seeking to strengthen the accountability of government. Civil society organisations play a vital watchdog role, can help stimulate demand for reform and also bring in expertise on technical issues,” TI’s Managing Director, Cobus de Swardt, said.

The report added that an independent and professional judicial system was critical to ending impunity and enforcing the rule of law. “If courts cannot be relied upon to pursue corrupt officials or to assist in tracing and returning illicit wealth, progress against corruption is unlikely,” it said.

T HE latest edition of the world’s leading anti- corruption report, the Corruption Perceptions Index, has ranked Nigeria as 147th of the 180 countries it surveyed for corruption. Counting from the bottom, Nigeria is revealed to be the 33rd most corrupt country of the lot. The report, which was released on Wednesday, also showed that the level of corruption in the country had not undergone any significant change. Prepared annually by the Berlin, Germany-based corruption watchdog, Transparency International, the report scored countries on a scale of zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels. This year’s score, a composite index that comprised 14 expert opinion surveys, revealed a strong link between corruption and poverty, as most of the low scoring countries were some of the world’s poorest. Nigeria’s new rank, which is five steps below that of last year, would have signified a deterioration but for its composite score of 2.2, which is the same as last year’s. Last year, Nigeria was ranked 146th of 163 countries. This year, New Zealand, ranked first; Denmark, second; and Finland, third, were the world’s least corrupt countries. Iraq, ranked 178 th ; and Myanmar and Somalia, joint 179th, were the most corrupt. While New Zealand, Denmark and Finland scored 9.4 points each; Iraq had 1.5 and Somalia and Myanmar had 1.4. But the report said both low and high performers needed to work jointly to stem global corruption. “Criticism by rich countries of corruption in poor ones has little credibility while their financial institutions sit on wealth stolen from the world’s poorest people,” Vice- Chairman, TI, Akere Muna, said in a statement attached to the report. The report named Nigeria and the Philippines as two countries where corrupt officials had used international financial institutions to siphon off public funds. “Global financial centres play a pivotal role in allowing corrupt officials to move, hide and invest their illicitly gained wealth. Offshore financing, for example, played a crucial role in the looting of millions from developing countries such as Nigeria and the Philippines, facilitating the misdeeds of corrupt leaders and impoverishing those they governed,” it said. The Chairman of TI, Huguette Labelle, said corruption remained an enormous drain on resources that were sorely needed for education, health and infrastructure in several countries. “Low scoring countries need to take these results seriously and act now to strengthen accountability in public institutions. But action from top scoring countries is just as important, particularly in cracking down on corrupt activity in the private sector,” it said. Nigeria has always protested that the report is not indicative of the progress that has been made in recent times. But TI says the report is based on the perceptions of public sector corruption as measured by the opinions of businessmen, technocrats and other experts. The report listed some African countries as having made significant progress. They included Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Swaziland. “These results reflect the positive progress of anti-corruption efforts in Africa and show that genuine political will and reform can lower perceived levels of corruption,” it said. Outside Africa, countries with significant improvements include Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominica Republic, Italy, Macedonia, Romania and Suriname. However, it said that corruption had worsened in Austria, Bahrain, Belize, Bhutan, Jordan, Laos, Macao, Malta, Mauritius, Oman, Papua New Guinea and Thailand. “Low scores in the CPI indicate that public institutions are heavily compromised. The first order of business is to improve transparency in financial management, from revenue collection to expenditure, as well as strengthening oversight and putting an end to the impunity of corrupt officials,” Labelle said. The report advised countries with low scores to improve transparency in financial management in areas like revenue collection and expenditure, and end impunity among corrupt officials. “Partnering with civil society and citizens is another essential strategy for developing countries seeking to strengthen the accountability of government. Civil society organisations play a vital watchdog role, can help stimulate demand for reform and also bring in expertise on technical issues,” TI’s Managing Director, Cobus de Swardt, said. The report added that an independent and professional judicial system was critical to ending impunity and enforcing the rule of law. “If courts cannot be relied upon to pursue corrupt officials or to assist in tracing and returning illicit wealth, progress against corruption is unlikely,” it said.

Youths are Leaders of today, that is why LEAP Africa in colaboration with Nokia/International Youth Foundation is organising a 4-day intensive training.

Given our conviction that young people can and should serve as change leaders in their communities, LEAP offers training programmes for exceptional youth in cities across Nigeria.

LEAP’s approach to cultivating leadership skills is unique. It recognizes that in order for individuals to acquire leadership skills, they need first hand experiences and long-term support. As a result, participants who are nominated for LEAP’s youth programmes are immersed in a range of interactive exercises, games, role plays, and breakout discussions. In addition, LEAP provides a world-class and practical learning environment.

LEAP also provides its participants with access to information on a range of issues related to youth development and change leadership. It also connects its beneficiaries with other youth who are working domestically and internationally on related issues.

A great opportunity you will never want to miss.

http://events.takingitglobal.org/15603

Jose Mourinho resigns as Chelsea manager

Jose Mourinho last night told his senior players that he was resigning as manager of Chelsea after a final fall-out with the club's billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich.

Mourinho sent text messages to John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba wishing each of them "good luck in the rest of your career" and saying that he was leaving the club this morning.

Jose Mourinho sent text messages to his top players wishing them 'good luck in the rest of your career'

He has been frustrated for some time with the tense situation at Chelsea, and particularly the perceived interference of Abramovich in team affairs.

Mourinho was unhappy with the £30 million arrival of Andrei Shevchenko, a striker much admired by Abramovich.

The self-styled "Special One" rarely praised Shevchenko and pointedly ignored the Ukrainian when he scored in Chelsea's embarrassing 1-1 Champions League draw with Norwegian side Rosenborg on Tuesday night.

Following Chelsea's lame display in a competition Abramovich has his heart set on winning, Mourinho was yesterday summoned to a crisis meeting.

advertisementAfter that, Mourinho decided to resign, his frustration at Chelsea's ludicrous internal politics boiling over.

Chelsea now head to the Premiership champions, Manchester United, on Sunday without their charismatic coach.

At the heart of yesterday's final fall-out between Mourinho and Abramovich is the owner's desire for more attractive football, the type of free-flowing attacking game that Chelsea have failed to manage consistently under Mourinho.

While the Portuguese manager was winning back-to-back League titles, an uneasy peace lingered - but when results began to slip, Abramovich's displeasure became obvious.

Stamford Bridge job now a poisoned chalice
The Russian walked out early from Chelsea's 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa earlier this season, and he will not have enjoyed Tuesday's poor result and performance.

Mourinho, 44, will go down as Chelsea's most successful manager, and the fans will lament the charismatic coach's departure.

He was voted Premiership Manager of the Year in 2005 and 2006, and he will not be short of job offers. Chelsea's board must now quickly call a meeting with Terry, Lampard, Drogba.

Mourinho Nigeria will miss you but wherever you go, i'll go,
Love you man...

Many residents of Port Harcourt, the main city in Nigeria's poor but oil-rich Niger Delta region, are complaining that a night-time curfew imposed more than two weeks ago has undermined their ability to make a living, although the measures do appear to have curbed spiralling violence with a drop in the number of reported gunshot injuries reported.

Port Harcourt has been wracked by violence as various armed groups battle for control of lucrative guns and oil smuggling rackets. More than 200 foreign oil workers have been taken hostage in and around Port Harcourt in the last year then freed only after paying large ransom.

“As of last week we were treating 60 cases but most of those occurred weeks early when the violence was high,” Rosa Aut, head of the international aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Nigeria, said on 12 September.

Seven of the cases occurred recently, she said. Five were victims of indiscriminate shooting by unknown assailants in the Mile Four district of the city while two were shot by police in a street brawl during curfew hours.

Violence intensified on 11 August when dozens of people were killed in gun battles. Soldiers deployed to quell the violence fought street battles with the groups and in the worst hit districts of the city thousands of people fled their homes.

The army said the fighting has been mostly between supporters of two militias operating in the city, one led by Ateke Tom; the other by Soboma George.

By late August MSF had reported treating 71 gunshot injuries at its trauma centre in Port Harcourt.

While relative calm has returned to the city, violence appears to have moved to surrounding villages and districts, where clashes involving rival gangs and government troops have continued. Fighting took place in early September between the army and armed men in the village of Ogbogoro as well as in Ogoni District between rival gangs.

Effects of the curfew

The curfew in Port Harcourt which runs from 7 pm until 7 am has made life hard for many people who normally work during those hours. Among those affected are craftsmen, shopkeepers, motorcycle taxi drivers and other transport operators.

“I own a roadside restaurant where people used to come to eat in the evenings,” said Helen Emenike, a 34-year-old mother of three and resident of the Diobu district of the city.

“Now all my business has gone.”

A minibus driver, Prieye Daminabo, said his income has fallen by more than half since the curfew took effect.

Many residents also complain about the way soldiers and policemen enforce the curfew. Residents are required to raise their hands in the air when approaching the many security checkpoints located around the city.

“Some people have been whipped by soldiers for not raising their hands quickly enough,” Daminabo said

Military spokesman Maj. Sagir Musa in Port Harcourt said recently that all security forces have been instructed to be polite to civilians. ‘’We have told them not to harass, intimidate or victimise anybody,” he said.