Long-term follow-up: no effect of therapeutic vaccination with HIV-1 p17/p24:Ty virus-like particles on HIV-1 disease progression

Abstract

Long-term effects of therapeutic vaccination of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected subjects with HIV-1 p17/p24:Ty virus-like particles (p24-VLP) on progression to AIDS, death, a CD4 cell count ≤200 cells/mm 3 and CD4 cell count decline were studied in a multicenter cohort study of 56 individuals who participated in a phase II double-blind placebo-controlled trial with p24-VLP in 1993. Using Cox proportional hazard analysis, no difference between vaccine and placebo groups was found in progression to death (adjusted hazard rate (HR): 0.68 (95% CI: 0.05–7.83), AIDS (adjusted HR: 1.07 (95% CI: 0.21–5.36)) and a CD4 cell count ≤200 cells/mm 3 (adjusted HR: 1.00 (95% CI: 0.35–2.87)). Using linear regression with correction for multiple visits within one person, no effect of vaccination on CD4 cell count decline, adjusted for antiretroviral therapy (ART) use, was found ( P=0.98). In conclusion, therapeutic vaccination with p24-VLP is not related to slower HIV-1 disease progression.