Vaccine for herpes in final trial phase

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A nationwide trial is underway for a vaccine to prevent herpes infections. Approximately one out of four women in the United States has genital herpes. Symptoms are often subtle, and most people don’t know they have herpes, but genital herpes is among the most common infectious diseases. Healthy women aged 18-30 may be eligible to participate in the trial. From the Mount Sinai School of Medicine :New vaccine for herpes in final trial phase

Mount Sinai School of Medicine is seeking healthy women volunteers 18-30 to participate in Multi-Center, national trial

Approximately ONE out of FOUR women in the United States has genital herpes. Symptoms are often subtle, and most people don’t know they have herpes, but genital herpes is among the most common infectious diseases. This is why Mount Sinai School of Medicine has joined with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals in the Herpevac Trial for Women. Healthy women aged 18-30 may be eligible to participate in the trial.
The herpes virus causes cold sores and genital herpes. Although thousands or millions of Americans have the disease, 90% are unaware of this infection. Even people who do not have visible symptoms can spread the disease. The disease burden is estimated at between $300 million to $1 billion per year in the US alone. There is no treatment that can eliminate the virus.

The Herpevac Trial for Women is investigating a promising vaccine to protect women against genital herpes. This vaccine does not contain live virus and cannot cause herpes infection. It has passed preliminary testing for safety and effectiveness and is now in its final phase of clinical trials.

For this study, Mount Sinai and the more than 20 other sites involved in the trail are seeking to enroll approximately 7,550 women. The Herpevac Trial for Women is open to healthy females between the ages of 18 and 30 who are negative for both HSV-1 and HSV-2.

Women who are interested in volunteering for the clinical trial will receive a very accurate blood test that looks for antibodies (the immune system’s response) to both HSV-1 and HSV-2. Participants can obtain results of the test by calling the Herpevac Trial for Women Test Result Hotline two weeks after having the blood drawn. In addition to providing results, this Hotline has trained counselors to answer questions about the test and test results so that women who test positive for herpes can understand what this means to them.

Volunteers will be randomly assigned to receive either the candidate herpes vaccine or and an investigational hepatitis A vaccine. Participants will receive three doses of either vaccine within the first six months of the trial and will be followed for a total of 20 months through periodic clinic visits and contacts.


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108 thoughts on “Vaccine for herpes in final trial phase”

  1. You cannot cure herpes. It’s a virus. But you can prevent outbreaks by taking a daily lysine tablet. Also, keep your health up, eat right, exercise, and try not to stress. Anyone who tells you they can cure herpes is either lying or misinformed.

  2. I just came from the a clinic in Indiana and I’m getting Ozone and peroixde treatment. I got the virus last year but thus far the virus affects me off and on. I’m really trying to get rid of it. What has been your experience with trying to get rid of this monster. I need a cool friend; hell if we all pull together just mabe we can kill it. My name is larry.

  3. There is a cure for herpes. But they will not put it on the market until 90% of the popullation is infected. There’s been a cure for 20 years! I’m 18. Why must me and everybody suffer. We only get one life I’m tired of being depressed my whole life. I want my life back. I want kids but I will not have kids if they have a chance of getting herpes when they are born. The reason why they put it on the market is cause of money they make millions if not billions a year for herpes treatments an medicine. The world is nothin but greedy as people trying to make a buck. I feel them. But dont make others suffer. I want to enjoy my life. But now I cant there won’t be a minute that goes by that I won’t think about me havin herpes. For all thoses that do have herpes I feel you pain. Try your best to life your life have fun an keep your immune system strong.

  4. The possible herpes vaccine under investigation is DL5 29 developed by David Knipe and his team of researchers at Harvard. Acambis, now part of Sanofi Pasteur, is the exclusive licensee for development of this vaccine trough the human trial phase. Pre-clinical testing has shown promising results in animal models of disease. With any luck, investigational new drug status will be granted this year and human trials can begin.

  5. nobody whats to cure something that makes money!!! by another drugs.
    sad but true!!!!!
    so there is no cure for long time. but vaccine maybe comes??? becouse that is not cure.

  7. Sanofi-Pasteur just gobbled up Acambis for $549mn. Last year Acambis announced that it had a promising vaccine that is good in men & women & could also help folks already afflicted with recurrent HSV-2. This looks like the most promising breakthrough on the horizon and they are apparently supposed to be filing an “investigational drug” application sometime in 2009 which would make it more accessible to the public.

    Harvard is somehow involved with this Acambis vaccine and they have a huge research endowment. The competition is fierce out there which is good for anyone with or at risk for HSV 1 or 2. American women are really affected by HSV-2 – about 30% and that just stinks. They estimate that a vaccine will generate the winner $2bn a year in revenue – that’s a big prize. With the Valtrex patent expiring in June 2009 you’re bound to see some breakthroughs.

  10. I JUST FOUND OUT I HAVE BOTH TYPES. IM ONLY 22 AND LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT.
    I HAVE BEEN READING UP ON SO MANY THINGS ONLINE AND ITS FRUSTRATING THAT SOMETHING IS “ALMOST” OUT THERE BUT STILL, NOTHING HAS COME OUT.

    I HAVE FOUND SOME SORT OF DETOX THAT CLAIMS TO REMOVE THIS VIRUS. TO READ MORE ABOUT IT GO TO: http://WWW.RESOLVEHERPES.COM

    DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY NEWS ON ANY TRIALS? I WILL BE UP FOR ANYTHING TO HELP NOT JUST MYSELF BUT OTHERS WITH THIS “THING”.

  11. Hi Doctor,

    I hope you will read this. I am HSV-1 positive and I am asymptomatic which I do not have physical sore present, but have the disease present. It is affecting my life and my family. Even though I am taking suppressive treatment of 400mg acyclovir daily, but I am always scared to transmit to my little daughter or my wife. I abstain from having sex and avoid touching my daughter who is growing daily and need father’s affection and love, but I simply can’t. I feel very angry with myself and bad towards my family.
    I would just wish you all the best and put all your effort in erradicating this virus from the face of the earth. I hope that you can help man to fight this disease. I deeply give my thanks and wish that what your article says is going to happen in real.

    Richard.

  12. About a week ago i noticed flu-like symptoms& what i thought was a regular infection. I went to the doctor and i was diagnosed with HSV2. I am a caring, smart 19 year old and have always been fully aware and safe about my sex life. Ever since i had become sexually active i have always gone to the doctor to get tested. I am still going through the motions& emotions herpes causes. I USED to think i was attractive, but now i almost feel like i shouldnt feel that way. I feel like herpes is almost an Imbodiment of rejection. If that makes sense? Coming to terms with this& reading your post makes me feel like herpes is a fact of life. Some people never have symptoms. My outbreak looked like a common infection. People just dont know. No one deserves this. I cried for 3 days straight. The guy i was dating started treating me like i was a walking disease. He is a single 26 year old father of two and before i was diagnosed i was accepting of HIS situation. I couldnt believe he wouldnt be accepting of mine! The most attractive people probably have herpes. Its a fact of life. It makes me feel better when i see that celebrities have it too. Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and even Brad Pitt are all known carriers of this disease! Herpes is a fact of life. It forces me now to grow up and invest in deep, mature relationships, not just physically driven ones.

  13. Dude, seriously awesome to see someone who is realistic about the virus. I feel like I want to slap the ignorance out of the majority of the people! It’s amazing how people shun other’s with the virus! And the sick thing is…they have the damn virus and are too ignorant to know. I am in the same boat u are. 26 yrs old and have no outbreaks except for the initial. Been a year since I have had an issue and doubt ill have another. Yea at first was sucked…still does but everyone has the damn virus. Wish people would focus on the true issue…living behind lies. Makes me sick when society shun’s others and they are infected as well. Awesome reading you’re post! Bout time!

  14. I don’t mind getting it for you to mail it to you,seriously. I don’t think it’s a good idea going by without medication just because insurance doesn’t cover it…. and feeling this bad having to vent in public…let me know. The best cure is meditation and human diet-vegetarian diet- to strengthen your immune system and genes.

  15. I’m 31 years old, & about 2 years ago I was given HSV 1 & 2 by a partner who claimed he was clean- & sadly, we hadn’t even had actual intercourse. The day after we ‘fooled around’, I noticed he had a cold sore, & just KNEW I was in trouble. Sure enough, diagnosis: genital herpes.

    I spent a year in a deep depression wondering if I’d ever find someone who could love me with this disease. I’ve now decided that I’m still the same person, I’m not LESS of a person- it’s just a matter of finding the right man who agrees. My dating life has been practically non-existent, & what exists has been heartbreaking due to rejection…”Hey, we can still be friendssss…”. I dread having ‘the talk’, but I could NEVER risk giving this to anyone else without their knowledge & acceptance of the risk. What everyone has said about the social stigma involved with this disease is so true – if 25% of the population has genital herpes, & 80% have oral, why should we be forced to live our lives like lepers, afraid of discovery?

    A unisex vaccine would make me SO happy – sure, it wouldn’t help ME physically. But knowing that ‘the dreaded talk’ could end with “but there’s a vaccine available that would prevent YOU from catching it” would make my life…hopeful. I’ve been imagining myself dying alone & lonely with 18 cats… I could sure use a little hope right now.

    I’m not a vengeful or mean person, but I wonder how quick a vaccine or-even better, a cure-would show up if the bigwigs of the pharma companies found themselves with this fabulous prize!? Anyway, if anyone knows of a way to donate specifically to Herpes research, please pop it up here. There’s well-established AIDS research groups, Cancer research groups, pink eye groups, tonenail fungus groups…aren’t there Herpes research groups?? I’d like to be able to stop pitying myself & start DOING something!

  17. Its a very limited vaccine. Women that are not infected can get it. It is estimated to have only a 50% protection rate. It is still questionable if it will ever hit the market.

  18. you can have children even as you have the herpes disease. In your last trimester of the pregnancy, they will give you medicine, so that you do not pass the disease on to the newborn. babies are born with their own immune system, not the mother’s. You should research the disease more. I know a couple that has the disease and has a child. Don’t let this disease affect your life because you are way young. I wish you the best…

  19. don’t let it destroy your life, there are forums where u can meet other people with it, in your area. YOu would be suprised how many people have this. My wife and i had to wonderful kids with herpes, the last she had an active outbreak. Make sure you tell ur doc and tell him u want a c section, to prevent any such possible spread.

    This is not as bad as it seems, things could be much worse. ALOT of people have herpes 2, ALOT. I bet 10% of your friends have it and just don’t mention it……by the time they are 40, 50% will have it. 1 in 5 active adults have it.

    Go to the forums, meet people there. google herpes forums.

    Hang in there kid, good luck and it’s not the end of the world. If u have sex, make sure there are no active lesions and use protection.

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