Only 30-50 percent of HIV-infected infants have detectable virus at birth. Successful early sensitization to HIV envelope epitopes may help prevent infection or, alternatively, may enhance HIV-specific immune function to alter HIV replication and disease progression.
Newborns are randomized to one of three different doses of either rgp120/HIV-1MN or rgp120/HIV-1SF2 or their matching placebos. At each dose level, 12 patients receive vaccine and three patients receive placebo. Immunizations are performed at 0, 4, 12, and 20 weeks, and patients are followed until 2 years of age. Three of four patients treated at a given dose level must have received two immunizations without evidence of grade 3 or 4 clinical or laboratory toxicity before dose escalation occurs. Twelve additional patients are treated with the optimal dose of each vaccine at weeks 0, 2, 8, and 20 (An accelerated schedule PER AMENDMENT 3/20/96. Changed from - 0, 4, 8, and 20) accompanied by three additional placebo patients per vaccine. PER AMENDMENT 3/20/96: The optimal dose of rgp120/HIV-1MN is 100 mcg and will be given to the 12 patients and the placebo will be given to 3. The optimal dose of rgp120/HIV-1SF2 is 5 mcg and will be given to the 12 patients and the placebo will be given to 3.
PER 2/3/95 AMENDMENT: After the initial patients are enrolled, 18 additional newborns will be randomized to one of the three dose levels of rgp120/HIV-1MN (with no placebos). PER AMENDMENT 6/5/95: Another group of 18 newborns will be randomized to one of three treatments representing 3 different doses of the Chiron/Biocine vaccine (with no placebos).
