title: Phase I clinical trial of a World Health Organisation birth control vaccine.
abstract: A birth control vaccine incorporating a synthetic peptide antigen representing the aminoacid sequence 109-145 of the C-terminal region of the beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG-beta) was submitted to a phase 1 clinical trial. Thirty surgically sterilised female volunteers, divided into five equal groups for different vaccine doses, received two intramuscular injections six weeks apart. Over a six-month follow-up there were no important adverse reactions, and potentially contraceptive levels of antibodies to hCG developed in all subjects. In the highest vaccine dose group, the results gave promise of a contraceptive effect of six months' duration.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000276:immunology*; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D003269:Contraception, Immunologic / Q000379:methods; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004168:Diphtheria Toxoid; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D014612:Vaccines; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D001323:Autoantibodies; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D004168:Diphtheria Toxoid; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014612:Vaccines