Issues Surrounding Ending Of HIV Vaccine Trial Agreement In Chicago Examined
Officials from the Chicago-based Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center, "the largest outpatient infectious disease clinic in the Midwest " has decided against participating in an HIV vaccine trial being conducted by Atlanta-based GeoVax Labs, "citing concerns for patients and finances," the Chicago Free Press reports (Wooten, 8/6). According to MyFoxChicago.com, "The preliminary proposal, obtained exclusively by Fox Chicago, called for a small trial to take place at CORE later this year on Geovax's therapeutic vaccine, with possible future tests of the preventative vaccine there." Following the original proposal, the board of CORE Foundation "the public/private fundraising arm" of the CORE Center "terminated its agreement with Geovax to start discussions on vaccine trials." Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, who along with other government officials signed the original agreement for the trial to move forward, "suspects it's politics and not medicine that torpedoed Geovax at CORE," MyFoxChicago.com reports (Goldblatt, 8/5). "Regardless of the reasons, Stroger's camp said that they will continue to fight to hold the vaccine trials in Cook County," the Free Press reports (8/6).
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