Amid disappointment following the failure of a major HIV vaccine trial last month, experts are pointing out that the halted study might provide useful information towards the discovery of a future vaccine for HIV/AIDS. The STEP study, which was examining Merck & Company’s Ad5 vaccine, was stopped September 21 after results showed that participants hadn’t been protected from HIV infection or disease progression. Still, activists and scientists are hoping that the failure will not make the general public lose hope in the prospect of a vaccine, perhaps the only true solution to ending the global AIDS epidemic.
