AIDS researchers hail major breakthrough

AIDS researchers in the US say they are on the brink of producing a simple drug to prevent the onset of HIV, the deadly virus that causes AIDS.

Lab tests show, for the first time, a vaccine the researchers have developed produces antibodies that block the infection of multiple HIV strains, an elusive scientific goal that has been pursued for more than a decade.

It is expected the vaccine will be employed in clinical trials within the next 18 months.