Safety and immunogenicity of REMUNE in HIV-infected Thai subjects.

Abstract The safety and immunogenicity of REMUNE™, an HIV-specific immune based therapy for HIV infection, was evaluated in a cohort of 30 HIV infected subjects in Thailand. This therapy utilizes a gp120 depleted inactivated virus (HZ 321 ), which exhibits a high degree of conservation with the core antigens of both type B′ and E strains of HIV, the predominant Thailand isolates. The treatment was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported over the course of the 4-month trial. Treatment in which four doses were administered with REMUNE™ appeared to boost HIV-specific immune responses, with approximately 75% of the treated subjects demonstrating an increase in either the repertoire or the intensity of the serological response to HIV as measured by Western blot. CD4%, viral load, and weight remained stable over the course of the 4-month study relative to baseline values. Viral subtyping of this cohort revealed a predominance of type ‘E’. These data suggest that REMUNE™ is safe and immunogenic in seropositive Thai subjects and suports further study of the therapeutic potential of REMUNE™ to treat HIV-1 infection.