High Risk Vaccine Shote

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michelle Simek 310.358.2423

Vincent Cummings 310.358.2423

FIRST HIGH RISK VOLUNTEER IN CALIFORNIA TO BEGIN HIV VACCINE STUDY

Phase II HIV vaccine study volunteer injected on Friday, April 8, 2005

Los Angeles - (April 8, 2005). The first volunteer will be injected on Friday, April 8, 2005 with an experimental HIV vaccine by Merck. The volunteer will receive his initial injection of either the investigational vaccine or a placebo at the AIDS Research Alliance (ARA) clinic in West Hollywood as part of a new, collaborative Phase II proof-of-concept study.

After receiving his first injection, Al Walz from North Hollywood will receive two additional shots over the next six months and will be followed for approximately four years by ARA clinical staff. AIDS Research Alliance is recruiting 60 volunteers considered at high-risk for sexual contact of HIV for this multi-year study. Potential study volunteers must be HIV negative, between 18-45 years old, and able to commit to participation for the duration of the trial.

Combining the strength of Merck’s investigational vaccine research efforts with the clinical trials expertise and community reach of AIDS Research Alliance, this “proof-of-concept” study will allow researchers to use a smaller number of participants to test the concept that the vaccine candidate prevents HIV infection, or lowers the blood level of virus in people living with HIV/AIDS.

The vaccine being tested is known as the MRKAd5 HIV-1 gag/pol/nef vaccine – based on the adenovirus, a common cold virus that has been modified so that it cannot cause a cold in humans. The adenovirus is used as a delivery vehicle to transport three synthetically produced HIV genes – known as gag, pol and nef – into the cells.“It is hoped that getting these HIV genes into the cells will stimulate the body to generate a strong cellular immune response to HIV, as opposed to a solely antibody response typical of most vaccines in use today, producing an army of T cells that are programmed to recognize and destroy cells infected with HIV,” stated Stephen

J. Brown, M.D., AIDS Research Alliance’s Medical Director. In earlier human trials, the vaccine has been shown to generate strong and durable immune responses against HIV.

The trial is expected to provide vital data about the ability of this vaccine candidate to either prevent infection with HIV, and/or to maintain a lower viral load compared with placebo in individuals who may become infected with HIV during the course of the study.

According to UNAIDS, approximately 40 million people were living with HIV in 2004. With more than 14,000 new HIV infections each day, 95 percent of which occur in developing countries, the global epidemic shows no sign of abating.

Development of a vaccine is recognized as the best long-term hope to end the AIDS pandemic, and a critical part of an integrated strategy to fight HIV infection, which also includes treatment and prevention. “There is still much work to be done,” said Carolyn Carlburg, Executive Director of AIDS Research Alliance. “Every 24 hours finds so many more people newly infected worldwide. We need to aggressively move forward with research and clinical trials to find effective interventions to both prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.”

About AIDS ReSearch Alliance

AIDS Research Alliance of America is a non-profit medical research institution whose mission is to find and accelerate the development of effective treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS. It does this by conducting pre-clinical research and clinical trials, often in collaboration with scientists from around the world. Whether uncovering more effective treatments, searching for possible vaccine candidates to stop further spread of the virus, or looking for ways to eradicate HIV in individuals, AIDS Research Alliance remains committed to the possibility that AIDS may ultimately be cured. See www.aidsresearch.org for more information.