The trial was rated number two on TIME magazine’s Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs list for 2009 among others
The RV144 vaccine regimen used in the Phase III HIV vaccine clinical trial in Thailand was rated number two on TIME magazine’s Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs list for 2009 and number eight on their 50 Best Inventions of the Year.
The vaccine also made Scientific American’s top 10 science stories, Discover magazine’s top 100 science stories (ranked number 13) and Infectious Disease News’ top 10 stories of the year (ranked number three).
The Army sponsored this HIV vaccine trial in Thailand that demonstrated—for the first time—modest effectiveness in preventing HIV infection. This trial provides evidence that a safe and effective HIV vaccine is possible, and the results should accelerate research efforts towards a more effective vaccine.
This study was a successful international collaboration including MHRP/WRAIR/MRMC, the Thai Ministry of Public Health, Mahidol University, the U.S. Army and Thai Army components of AFRIMS, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, sanofi pasteur, and Global Solutions for Infectious Disease. It was supported by a cooperative agreement with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.