NIH launches phase 1/2 HIV vaccine trial in South Africa

An NIH-led safety and efficacy trial of an experimental HIV vaccine regimen has begun in South Africa, according to a press release.

The HVTN 100 trial will enroll 252 heterosexual adults aged 18 years to 40 years who are not infected with HIV. It will consist of two experimental vaccines — ALVAC-HIV (canarypox-based vaccine, Sanofi Pasteur) and a gp120 protein subunit vaccine with adjuvant (Novartis Vaccines) — that have been modified to be HIV subtype C specific. Participants will receive eight injections of either the treatment or a placebo during a 1-year period, with booster shots given at the 1-year mark.

“Our country is helping lead the way in HIV prevention research,” Glenda Gray, MBBCH, president of the South African Medical Research Council, said in the press release. “A safe and effective vaccine is our best hope for stopping new HIV infections and protecting the health of our communities.”

Figure 1. HVTN laboratory staff Nomzamo Tabata (left) and Owethu Mahali process specimens at The Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa..

Source: Brooke Auchincloss

The vaccine regimen is based on one previously tested in the RV144 clinical trial. Led by the U.S. Military HIV Research Program, its regimen was found to be 31.2% effective at preventing infection after 3.5 years and 60% effective 1 year after vaccination, results that the researchers hope to improve upon with the HVTN 100’s modified treatments.

“A safe and effective HIV vaccine is essential to reach a timely, sustained end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic,” Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in the press release. “The launch of HVTN 100 marks an important step forward in building upon the promising results of the RV144 trial to produce an HIV vaccine that could have a significant public health impact in southern Africa, where the HIV/AIDS pandemic is most pervasive.”