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Today the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced that HVTN 702, a large-scale HIV vaccine efficacy trial of a canary pox-based vaccine candidate, has stopped vaccinations because the vaccine does not prevent HIV.
HVTN 702 (also known as Uhambo) was stopped following a scheduled review by an independent data and safety monitoring board. The review showed no significant difference between the two arms of the trial and importantly, no safety concerns. Trial participants are being informed of the stop and will remain in the study for follow-up.
AVAC applauds the 5,407 trial participants in South Africa for their time and dedication, and the trial team for their hard work in conducting this trial and getting an answer quickly, even if it’s not the one we’d hoped for. The 252 new infections diagnosed across the study is yet another important reminder of the need for access to and uptake of current treatment and prevention options, like oral PrEP, and for continued investments in the development of additional vaccine and non-vaccine options.
HVTN 702 is a Phase 2b/3 study testing a regimen adapted from the vaccine strategy tested in the RV144 Thai vaccine trial, which showed roughly 30 percent lower infection rate among volunteers who received the vaccine versus those who received the placebo.
The vaccine approach in HVTN 702 is different from that being tested in other large-scale vaccine efficacy studies HVTN 705/HPX2008 (the Imbokodo Study) and HVTN 706/HPX3002 (the Mosaico study). It is also different from the planned PrEPVacc Study, which will test yet another vaccine strategy along with oral PrEP. The stop of HVTN 702 does not affect these trials or any other HIV prevention efficacy trials taking place globally.
AVAC and Advocacy for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS (APHA) held a global webinar on Wednesday, February 19 to discuss the latest updates and reflect on how they may impact HIV prevention globally. A recording of the webinar can be found here.
As always, please contact us with any questions.