Ref (NRK 24.06.04)

Free of HIV medicines after vaccination

Adam Powell's life has become better after participating in a research project testing
Bionor Immuno's new therapeutic HIV vaccine. - My experience of this new HIV
therapeutic vaccine has only been positive says Powell.

HIV-positive Adam Powell is one of 40 patients that have participated in a new research
project carried out by Ullevål University Hospital and Bionor Immuno in Skien.

Bionor Immuno has developed a therapeutic HIV vaccine that looks like it can teach the
immune system to tackle HIV in such a way that AIDS does not develop.

If the virus is prevented from reproducing itself, HIV will not be able to infect important
immune cells as rapidly, cells that the body needs to fight infection.

A new life

After trying the therapeutic HIV vaccine, Adam Powell has had a better life.

"I have lived without HIV medicines for one and a half years and this has given me a new quality of life" says Powell.

Powell has not needed HIV medicines or treatment for one and a half years. The research
project is now looking into how long patients can remain free of HIV medicines.

According to Powell the therapeutic vaccine is entirely without side effects and this has also
contributed to giving Alan Powell a much better life.

"I can now work at my job, work out at the gym and enjoy leisure time activities" says Powell contentedly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ref (NRK 25.06.04)

Breakthrough for therapeutic HIV vaccine.

A therapeutic HIV vaccine developed by Bionor Immuno AS in Skien has lead to improved control of
the virus in HIV-infected individuals. The clinical studies that have been done so far have shown that
a quarter of the HIV-infected patients that used the therapeutic vaccine, have less virus in their bodies.

The Skien company Bionor Immuno has, in collaboration with Ullevål University Hospital , tested a
therapeutic vaccine that seems to be able to teach the immune system to tackle HIV so that AIDS does
not develop.

This is probably the first time in the world.

Researcher and Consultant, Dr. Dag Kvale at Ullevål University Hospital has collaborated with
Bionor Immuno on testing out the therapeutic vaccine. He claims that the preliminary results from this
study will attract international attention.

"The study has shown that it is possible to make a therapeutic vaccine that keeps HIV in check without
developing AIDS" says Dag Kvale.

If the virus is prevented from reproducing itself, it will not be able to infect important immune cells as rapidly,
cells that the body needs to fight infection.


Vaccines as treatment.
So far, two clinical trials have been carried out at Ullevål University Hospital using so called therapeutic
HIV vaccines.

The first therapeutic vaccine was tested on 40 HIV-infected patients in Norway over a period of two years.
The majority of patients are now living without the usual HIV medicines.

"The therapeutic vaccine we have used is unique from a global perspective, and we vaccinate individuals
in a way that is different from the approaches used in other parts of the world" says Kvale.

The researcher's objective is to see whether the therapeutic vaccine can 'repair' the immune system by
training and thereby improving the ability of new immune cells (killer cells) to recognise the virus.

The researchers say that a relatively sensational finding is that they have been able to show for the first
time through this type of clinical research that the patients who respond well to the therapeutic vaccine
actually gain improved control of the virus, which is exactly the objective of this kind of treatment.

Dag Kvale emphasises that more work is still needed before they can be absolutely sure that the therapeutic
vaccine is working in the way they hope. 

"This will take at least three to five years" says Kvale.