Australian developers scrap COVID-19 vaccine candidate after false positives on HIV tests


The Australian developers of a coronavirus vaccine candidate announced on Friday the project has ended after several trial participants falsely tested positive for HIV.
The vaccine candidate was being formulated by the University of Queensland and the Australian biotech company CSL, and was still in its Phase 1 trials. In a statement, CSL said none of the 216 trial participants reported experiencing any serious side effects, and while the vaccine was shown to have a "strong safety profile," the antibodies generated interfered with HIV diagnosis, leading to the false positives.
"Follow up tests confirmed that there is no HIV present, just a false positive on certain HIV tests," CSL said. "There is no possibility the vaccine causes infection."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The vaccine's "molecular clamp is made from a HIV protein, which on its own is harmless," Adam Taylor, a research leader in emergency viruses at Griffith University's Menzies Health Institute, explained to CNN. "The molecular clamp stabilizes the coronavirus spike protein and presents it to the body in a way that promotes a good immune response. This is why the clamp technology is so vital."
The Australian government had hoped that the University of Queensland and CSL vaccine would be available by mid-2021, and ordered 51 million doses of the vaccine. The country has already ordered 73.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines, and Australian Minister for Health Greg Hunt said it now plans on ordering 31 million additional units from the companies.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Doing the hustle: Are side gigs a sign of impending recession?
In the Spotlight More workers are 'padding their finances while they can'
-
The ambiguous legal state of ectopic pregnancy care
The Explainer Rep. Kat Cammack's accusations of 'fearmongering' are the latest example of how mixed messages are complicating the debate around abortion
-
New York plans first nuclear plant in 36 years
Speed Read The plant, to be constructed somewhere in upstate New York, will produce enough energy to power a million homes
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments