A clinical trial for a potential HIV vaccine has closed after researchers found the experimental drug did not protect patients from the virus.
Researchers at the Johnson & Johnson-owned company Janssen Pharmaceuticals confirmed they would end the phase 3 Mosaico trial, also known as HPX3002/HVTN706, in a press release Wednesday. Although the trial’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board affirmed that the vaccine itself posed no notable health risks, it was ultimately ineffective at strengthening patients’ immune systems against HIV when compared with a placebo.
“We are disappointed with this outcome and stand in solidarity with the people and communities vulnerable to and affected by HIV,” said J&J spokesperson Dr. Penny Heaton. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing innovation in HIV, and we hope the data from Mosaico will provide insights for future efforts to develop a safe and effective vaccine.”
The Mosaico trial, which began in 2019, aimed to create a “mosaic”-style vaccine combining material from many different strains of HIV from around the world. Approximately 3,900 cisgender men and transgender people in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe received the experimental vaccine during the trial. It was the only HIV vaccine currently being tested in late-state clinical trials, according to the New York Times. Experts told the Times that its failure would set HIV vaccine progress back by three to five years.
A spokesperson for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which partnered with J&J in the trial, told Reuters that although this failure was “not the outcome we had hoped for,” researchers “will learn from this study and continue forward.”
Indeed, there are currently several HIV vaccine trials that could deliver success. Another mosaic-type vaccine, HIV-CORE 0052, concluded Phase 1 testing in September 2022; over the past year and a half, rival pharmaceutical corporation Moderna has begun trials for four different HIV vaccines, one of which entered human trials last January and has already shown that it has promise in producing an immune response.
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