Merck Unblinds AIDS Study

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Merck Unblinds AIDS Study

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
December 06 2007 | 49,211 views

Two international trials of Merck & Co. Inc.’s experimental AIDS vaccine were stopped after researchers realized the vaccine did not prevent infection with the AIDS virus.

Instead, indications suggest that the vaccine may actually raise the risk of infection, though it cannot cause an HIV infection itself.

Now, Merck has announced that it will “unblind” the study, and let the thousands of volunteers know who received the active vaccine and who got a dummy shot.

Researchers have begun counseling volunteers that they could now be at a higher risk of contracting HIV.

The AIDS vaccine trials were conducted in the United States, Peru, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Australia and South Africa.

Sources:

Reuters November 13, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Well before I begin on my Merck rant, let me first make it crystal clear that I have zero hope in any vaccine solution for AIDS.

Secondly, although some of my friends used to call me “Merc” as a shortened version of Mercola -- I am no fan of Merck the drug company. Let’s remember this is the same company that IGNORED early warnings on their drug Vioxx that KILLED over 60,000 people in the United States alone.

So is it at all surprising that when we examine this issue that we are going to uncover more dirt?

Merck began suspecting something was wrong with their highly touted AIDS vaccine when 19 of those who received at least two doses of the vaccine contracted HIV compared with 11 of those given placebos.

Yet even before this was realized, they knew the vaccine itself did not even work.

What is the moral of the story?

Well, on the surface level it is to seriously question whether any sum of money is worth the risks you take when you volunteer yourself as a guinea pig. Sadly, many drug study volunteers are in desperate need of money, or may be seriously undereducated as to the potential risks of the drug or vaccine being studied.

On a deeper level, it is to not rely on the toxic solutions of the fatally flawed health care paradigm to “cure” you of disease. Clearly, a vaccine was never the answer to avoiding HIV infection in the first place.

In the case of HIV and AIDS, it is essential to keep your immune system strong because the virus attacks your immune system. Avoiding grains and sugars is one of the primary ways to do this, as sugar immediately decreases the functioning of your immune system.

Following a healthy diet is also of utmost importance for anyone battling HIV (or any other chronic illness, for that matter).

It may surprise you to learn that the most common cause of death among HIV-positive patients is liver failure, caused by taking toxic drugs. If this topic is of interest to you, you may want to watch this short video warning about HIV treatments and testing.

Further, Merck is the last company on earth that I would trust to manufacture something to inject into my or your body. This is the same company:

That continued to supply the infant hepatitis B vaccine, which was contaminated with thimerosal, a mercury preservative, for two years after announcing that it had eliminated the toxin from the vaccine.

Whose drug reps laughed at me when I showed them a 1999 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that warned of the heart attack risks of Vioxx (which, tens of thousands of deaths later, was pulled from the market for that very same issue).

That continues to push its useless and dangerous cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil to girls -- and boys!

So is it surprising that their latest vaccine has now put thousands of people at an increased risk of HIV? No. But it is a testimony to the extreme need for change.

You can start in your own home by doing some serious research prior to vaccinating yourself or your children.

If you would like more details, my book Take Control of Your Health has an entire chapter devoted to this topic, along with a thorough Appendix that tells you step-by-step how you can legally avoid vaccinations.