CHINA COMPLETES FIRST CLINICAL TRIAL OF HIV VACCINE

Clinical trials indicate that China's first HIV vaccine is safe and possibly effective, government officials have announced. Forty-nine healthy people who received the injection showed no severe adverse reactions after 180 days, showing the vaccine is safe, said officials from the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

The recipients appeared immune to the HIV-1 virus 15 days after the injection, indicating the vaccine may be effective, officials said at a press conference held jointly by the SFDA and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The Phase I trial began in March 2005. Researchers are analyzing the trial results to decide whether to continue to the second phase, SFDA officials said.

China has approximately 650,000 people living with HIV, including approximately 75,000 AIDS patients, according to official estimates.