VACCINE RESEARCH CENTER PARTNERS WITH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN HERPES PREVENTION RESEARCH STUDY

(PRLEAP.COM) VACCINE RESEARCH CENTER PARTNERS WITH
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN HERPES PREVENTION RESEARCH STUDY

—Women Volunteers, 18-30 years of age, are needed—


(PRLEAP.COM)FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — The UCLA Center for Vaccine Research at LA Biomedical Research Institute (Torrance), together with Southern California universities and private practices, is taking part in an important national research study to evaluate the effectiveness of a vaccine to prevent genital herpes in women. About 20 to 25% of the population has the virus that causes genital herpes, which annually affects a half-million new people. Currently, there is no vaccine to protect against the spread of this sexually transmitted disease, and there is no cure.

The study, called the Herpevac Trial for Women, is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is currently taking place at more than 40 sites in the U.S. and Canada. The vaccine being tested in the Herpevac Trial is investigational (not licensed in the U.S.) and is only available through participation in a clinical study. The study calls for participation of 7,550 women, 18 to 30 years of age, who do not have a prior history of herpes type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2). To date, more than 5,000 women have joined the study and enrollment is ongoing.

The Herpevac Trial follows two earlier clinical studies of the herpes vaccine involving more than 7,400 men, women, teens and adults. In those studies, the vaccine proved to be effective in nearly three quarters of women who had no prior evidence of the viruses (HSV-1 or HSV-2) that cause herpes outbreaks. “We are long overdue for vaccines to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, which impact millions of adults and newborns worldwide. Herpes infections are life long, and options for treatment are limited and imperfect. Prevention must be a high priority if we are to impact the rising tide of genital herpes infections, and finding safe and effective vaccines may be one of the most promising contributions to the prevention strategy,” says Dr Ward, Principal Investigator, Herpevac Trial for Women, UCLA Center for Vaccine Research.

In Southern California, the study is being offered by the UCLA Center for Vaccine Research (Torrance), in collaboration with investigators at California State Universities at Dominguez Hills and Long Beach (CSUDH and CSULB), and a private practice in West Los Angeles. More than 300 women from these sites have joined the Herpevac Trial. To make sure they qualify for the study, women undergo a blood test to screen for herpes. Financial compensation for study participation is provided.


Additional information about genital herpes and this study can be found on the study website at www.herpesvaccine.nih.gov.