October 11, 2023

'Imagine everyone being vaccinated': Activists welcome VIR-1388 trial to 'end Aids in our lifetime'

A novel HIV vaccine known as VIR-1388 could be a story of hope for many South Africans living with the virus.

HIV activists have lauded the trial of the vaccine, saying they hope it will soon bring an end to the HIV/Aids epidemic in South Africa.

This week, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced the enrolment of candidates from South Africa and the US into a trial of the vaccine.

According to NIAID, phase 1 of the trial will look into the safety of VIR-1388 and its ability to induce an HIV-specific immune response.

The VIR-1388 vaccine is designed to instruct the immune system to produce T-cells (a type of white blood cell that fights specific germs or viruses) that can recognise HIV and signal an immune response to prevent the virus from establishing chronic infection.

"VIR-1388 uses a cytomegalovirus (CMV) vector, which means a weakened version of CMV delivers the HIV vaccine material to the immune system without causing disease in the study participants," the NIAID said in a statement.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, CMV is a common virus for people of all ages, however, a healthy person's immune system usually keeps the virus from causing illness.

"Most people living with CMV experience no symptoms and are unaware they are living with the virus. CMV remains detectable in the body for life, which suggests it can deliver and then safely help the body retain HIV vaccine material for a long period, potentially overcoming the waning immunity observed with more short-lived vaccine vectors," the statement said.

HIV and human rights activist Zola Tshayana said South Africa, which has about eight million people living with HIV, would greatly benefit from this trial:

"This would help us to control and manage the virus. This is a much-needed breakthrough, as the country [has been considering] injectable ARVs to reduce pill burden and treatment fatigue.

"It also comes when we are really pushing PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) as a way of preventing [HIV infection]," Tshayana said.

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is hopeful that the VIR-1388 vaccine will change the lives of HIV-positive people.

TAC deputy general secretary Patrick Mdletshe said the last international Aids conference reported the long journey to developing a universal vaccine.

Mdletshe said:

The NIAID has funded the discovery and development of a CMV vaccine vector since 2004 and is currently funding the VIR-1388 alongside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Vir Biotechnology, a US-based immunology company.

The trial is sponsored by Vir and conducted through the NIAID-funded HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

"Participants will be randomly assigned to one of four study arms - three arms will each receive a different dose of the vaccine and one will receive a placebo.

"To ensure the safety of participants, the study will only enrol people already living with asymptomatic CMV. Initial results are expected in late 2024, and an optional long-term sub-study will continue to follow volunteers for up to three years after their first vaccine dose," the NIAID statement said.