Failure of Vaccine Test Is Setback in AIDS Fight

Via the New York Times (9/22):

A much-heralded H.I.V. vaccine has failed to work in a large clinical trial, dealing another serious setback to efforts to stop the AIDS epidemic.

The vaccine’s developer, Merck, said yesterday that it had halted test vaccinations after the vaccine failed to prevent infection or reduce the severity of infection among volunteers who became infected during the trial.

The trial was closely watched because experts considered the vaccine one of most promising to be tested on people so far.