Thursday, September 20, 2007

Another great crisp Fall day. Heard real bad news regarding the Merck AIDS vaccine trial 502 in which adenovector HIV was immunogen. Study done mostly on gay men and phase 2b was looked at by DSMB on usual periodic look. Trial closed for “futility” in that the data showed that more people got infected in vaccinate group versus unvaccinated group (19 vs 11 – not significant, but highly suggestive). Also, viral set point exactly same in infected people who were vaccinated versus those that were not. Trail stopped – press releases imminent. It is going to be a hot time. People will focus on whether we should proceed with the Phase IIb of PAVE 100 (Gary Nabel’s VRC trial). The latter also was a adeno vector, but is different in 3 ways: 1) it has a DNA prime; 2) it has envelope; 3) it is done also in heterosexuals. More to come. Went to Gate-sponsored dinner at Le Paradou Restaurant at 678 Indiana Avenue, NW in honor of retiring President of Botswana Festus Mogae. I had met the President in 2002 when I went to Africa with Tommy Thompson in 2002 to develop PEPFAR. At the dinner were: Todd Summer and Cheryl Scott (Gates), Jeff Struchio (Merck), Bobby Pittman (NSC Director of African Affairs), Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Tommy Thompson, Max Essex (Harvard School of Public Health), Ambassador John Lange (former Amb to Botswana), Jendayi Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. Nice evening. I commiserated with TGT about his failed attempt at Republican nomination for President. Nice conversations with Nita Lowey about Iraq (Democrat viewpoint), and warm conversation with Mogae regarding my work on AIDS.