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The United States Ambassador to Thailand, Eric G. John, joined the Minister of Public Health, Witthaya Kaewparadai, in announcing the results of a groundbreaking study in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Embassy of the United States of America
Bangkok
September 24, 2009
Study Proves HIV Vaccine Safe and Possible
The United States Ambassador to Thailand, Eric G. John, joined the Minister of Public Health, Witthaya Kaewparadai, in announcing the results of a groundbreaking study in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. A clinical trial conducted by Thai and American researchers has demonstrated that a vaccine regimen developed for Thailand with the help of over 16,000 volunteers is both safe and 31.2% effective in preventing HIV infection. This scientific breakthrough is the first evidence that development of a safe and effective preventative vaccine is possible; no previous vaccine trials have shown evidence of success against HIV.
The Royal Thai Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) conducted the study, which was sponsored by the U.S. Army Surgeon General. Mahidol University and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), operating out of Thailand, helped to conduct the trial. The Phase III vaccine study, also known as “RV144,” was launched in 2003 with nearly 60,000 Thais showing interest in the study.
Ambassador John acknowledged the outstanding cooperation between Thailand and the United States, “Working shoulder to shoulder Thai and American scientists have won a foothold in a battle against one of the world’s deadliest diseases. Together, Thais and Americans are helping to save lives.”
Thailand is the United States’ oldest partner in Asia and the two countries share a history of successful cooperation going back more than 176 years. Health and medical research is one area where cooperation between Thailand and the United States has yielded results that have benefited the region and beyond. Nearly a quarter of the 2,000 employees working for the U.S. government in Thailand work in health and medicine, collaborating with Thailand and regionally. “AFRIMS, the U. S. Agency for International Development, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working on the cutting edge of global health with their Thai and regional partners, making significant advances in a number of diseases,” said Ambassador John.
AFRIMS works in Thailand in collaboration with the Royal Thai Military and other Thai institutions, such as MoPH. AFRIMS is hosted by the Royal Thai Army and staffed by American and Thai personnel. For more than 50 years, AFRIMS has been at the forefront in the fight against infectious diseases like HIV, malaria, and dengue fever. For more information on AFRIMS, please visit their website at http://www.afrims.org/ or http://www.afrims.go.th/.
For more information on the RV144 trial, visit www.hivresearch.org. Media inquires can be direct to Tawn Chatchavalvong at Hill & Knowlton at 66-2-627-3501 Ext. 118 or tchatchavalvong@th.hillandknowlton.com.
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