Vaccine candidate has 4 components that target multiple HIV strains
Johnson & Johnson (J&J)has announced that it is preparing to test an experimental Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) vaccine in the USA and Europe in late 2019.
The American pharma giant announced on Friday that it will test out the vaccine in the U.S. and Europe this year. If it proves successful—following testing on thousands of men who have sex with men—it could become the first approved immunization against the virus.
Johnson & Johnson is leading the immunization effort, where approximately 3,800 men who have sex with the same gender will be administered six shots over four sessions. The potential vaccine aims to target multiple strains of HIV, which mutate quickly in the human body. Johnson & Johnson’s potential vaccine has proven effective in about two-thirds of animals. No harm was found in humans who’ve already been administered the drug.
“The cost of treating HIV patients — the burden for patients, the burden for society — is very high,” said Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnson’s chief scientific officer.
This vaccine approach “brings us one step closer to covering the vast diversity of viruses worldwide,” said Dan Barouch, a Harvard Medical School professor whose research laid the groundwork for the vaccine. “For medical and global public health reasons, it’s better to have a vaccine that works in multiple parts of the world.”
Meanwhile, another potential vaccine began tests in 2017 on about 2,600 African women. Health officials believe having both trials — held in different parts of the world and on different demographics — can lead to quicker approvals for public use should they demonstrate success.
Even though pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is known to halt nearly all HIV transmissions, its high cost leaves it out of reach for many without means or access, especially those in developing countries. Daily adherence is also a big factor when it comes to PrEP’s effectiveness.
“The cost of treating HIV patients — the burden for patients, the burden for society — is very high,” said Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnson’s chief scientific officer.
Fauci and Johnson & Johnson are expected to release more information later this month on the U.S. and European trials.
 vaccine in the USA and Europe in late 2019){kind=link}