Further analysis of AIDSVAX data shows no stronger proof of effectiveness for minorities

Officials from VaxGen, the maker of the experimental HIV vaccine AIDSVAX, on Monday released further details from the clinical trial data of AIDSVAX that offered no stronger proof of the company's claims that the vaccine offers significant protection against HIV infection for minorities, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. In late February, the company announced that while the vaccine was ineffective overall, lowering HIV infection risk by just 3.8% among all clinical trial participants, the vaccine did appear to offer protection in the range between 30% and 84% for Asians and African-Americans. But company officials on Monday said that efforts to account for the ethnic differences had been unsuccessful. Vice president Phillip Berman said the company expects an exhaustive analysis of the clinical trial data to take an additional six to 12 months.