DOH: Condom better than anti-HIV vaccine

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday warned the public not to rely on the newly developed anti-HIV vaccine and advised people to instead use condoms or abstain from sex to avoid the deadly disease.

“We should not be waiting for the vaccine to come, but as always (practice) abstention and safe sex, particularly the use of condoms,” said Dr. Eric Tayag, chief of the DOH National Epidemiology Center (NEC). Researchers in Bangkok, Thailand have announced the development of an experimental vaccine that has prevented HIV, a virus that leads to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Thai medical experts claimed that the vaccine has been proven to cut the risk of HIV by more than 31 percent.

“That is really welcome news. Although it still has a low efficacy rate, at least now we can say there is hope (against HIV),” Tayag said in a radio interview.

Tayag said the public, particularly the youth, could rely on condoms, which is more effective against sexually transmitted disease than using the anti-HIV vaccine.

He said the most basic protection is abstention and practicing safe sex.

Data from the DOH NEC showed that the number of HIV cases in the country has already reached 4,031 with 817 having progressed into full-blown AIDS from January 1984 to July 2009.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) has banned the marketing and sale of a vaccine to prevent the spread of influenza A(H1N1).

Acting BFAD director Nazarita Tacandong ordered last Sept. 3 a ban on the sale of Vaxcen, a prescription drug against A(H1N1).

“Vaxcen Vaccine Center is ordered to cease and desist from selling and offering for sale the subject unregistered product and from disseminating violative advertisements,” Tacandong said.

Tacandong said BFAD’s Product Services Division has no record of registration or a pending application for registration of the Vaxcen drug.

“The act of selling or offering for sale of unregistered products grossly violates the provisions of the Consumers Act which prohibits distribution of product not registered with the Bureau,” Tacandong said.

She said Vaxcen’s distributor’s marketing strategy to advertise the product was considered “deceptive” sales practice.

Tacandong said putting the phrase “now available” in the print advertisements gave the impression that the product is already available and already registered with BFAD.

The distributor of Vaxcen claimed that they are not yet selling the product, but merely asking the public to make reservations for the vaccine when it becomes available in October.

BFAD has also directed the product distributor to explain in writing why no legal or administrative action should be taken against the company.