It has been theorized that subunit vaccines consisting of HIV antigens may stimulate humoral and lymphoproliferative cellular immune responses. It is not clear what the implications of data are for therapeutic vaccine trials. The conformational similarity of rgp160 to the native gp160 may have positive implications for its ability to block primary infection of diverse HIV strains. The study showed that there were no differences between placebo and treatment groups for either the primary endpoints or endpoints which assessed immunologic or virologic responses.
Local reactions are common including tenderness and induration at the injection site.
Mild fever, myalgia or fatigue may accompany local reactions. Interdermal administration results in subcutaneous nodule formation, prolonged skin discoloration, occasional purulent drainage and local pruritis. Other side effects include headaches and nausea. It is fully glycosylated, with a 3-dimensional shape approximately identical to gp160. Lambert JS, McNamara J, Katz S, Livingston R, Moye J. Safety and immunogenicity of HIV recombinant envelope vaccines in HIV-infected infants and children.