Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of the VRC01 Antibody in Reducing Acquisition of HIV-1 Infection Among Men and Transgender Persons Who Have Sex With Men

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02716675
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: March 23, 2016
• Results First Posted: February 8, 2022
• Last Update Posted: February 23, 2022
• Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Study Description

Brief Summary:

This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the human monoclonal antibody (mAb) VRC-HIVMAB060-00-AB (VRC01) in preventing HIV-1 infection among men and transgender (TG) persons who have sex with men, in North America, South America, and Switzerland.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
HIV Infections	Biological: VRC01; Biological: Placebo for VRC01	Phase 2

Detailed Description:

This study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the VRC01 antibody in preventing HIV-1 infection in men and transgender (TG) persons who have sex with men, in North America, South America, and Switzerland.

Participants will be randomized to receive VRC01 mAb by intravenous (IV) infusion at a dose of 10 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg every 8 weeks, or to receive control infusions every 8 weeks. All participants will receive the VRC01 antibody or placebo by IV infusion at Weeks 0 (study entry), 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, and 72. For 3 days following each infusion, participants will be asked to record and report any symptoms to study researchers.

In addition to the infusion visits, participants will attend study visits at Weeks 4, 8 + 5 days, 12, 20, 28, 36, 44, 52, 60, 68, 76, 80, 88, 96, and 104. All study visits will include blood collection and HIV testing and counseling. Select study visits will include a medical history review, physical exam, urine collection, pregnancy testing for participants capable of becoming pregnant, risk reduction counseling, and an interview/questionnaire.

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Actual Enrollment: 2699 participants
• Allocation: Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Official Title: A Phase 2b Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of VRC01 Broadly Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody in Reducing Acquisition of HIV-1 Infection Among Men and Transgender Persons Who Have Sex With Men
• Actual Study Start Date: April 6, 2016
• Actual Primary Completion Date: December 1, 2020
• Actual Study Completion Date: December 1, 2020

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
Experimental: Group 1: Low-Dose VRC01; Participants will receive an intravenous (IV) infusion of 10 mg/kg of VRC01 over about 15 to 60 minutes at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, and 72.	Biological: VRC01; Administered by IV infusion; total dose will vary based on participant's weight; Other Name: Human monoclonal antibody (mAb) VRC-HIVMAB060-00-AB
Experimental: Group 2: High-Dose VRC01; Participants will receive an IV infusion of 30 mg/kg of VRC01 over about 15 to 60 minutes at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, and 72.	Biological: VRC01; Administered by IV infusion; total dose will vary based on participant's weight; Other Name: Human monoclonal antibody (mAb) VRC-HIVMAB060-00-AB
Placebo Comparator: Group 3: VRC01 Placebo; Participants will receive an IV infusion of placebo for VRC01 over about 15 to 60 minutes at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, and 72.	Biological: Placebo for VRC01; Sodium Chloride for Injection USP, 0.9%; administered by IV infusion

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. Number of Participants Reporting Local Reactogenicity Signs and Symptoms: Pain and/or Tenderness [ Time Frame: Measured through 3 days after each infusion at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   Graded according to the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Table for Grading the Severity of Adult and Pediatric Adverse Events, Version 2.1 [July 2017]. The maximum grade observed for each symptom over the time frame is presented
2. Number of Participants Reporting Local Reactogenicity Signs and Symptoms: Erythema and/or Induration [ Time Frame: Measured through 3 days after each infusion at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   Graded according to the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Table for Grading the Severity of Adult and Pediatric Adverse Events, Version 2.1 [July 2017]. The maximum grade observed for each symptom over the time frame is presented
3. Number of Participants Reporting Systemic Reactogenicity Signs and Symptoms [ Time Frame: Measured through 3 days after each infusion at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   Graded according to the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Table for Grading the Severity of Adult and Pediatric Adverse Events, Version 2.1 [July 2017]. The following symptoms are considered as systemic reactogenicity if the onset date was within the periods of assessment specified in the protocol: malaise and/or fatigue, myalgia, headache, nausea, vomiting, chills, arthralgia, and body temperature. The item Max. Systemic Symptoms is the maximum of the individual systemic reactogenicities excluding body temperature for a participant.
4. Chemistry and Hematology Laboratory Measures - Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) [ Time Frame: Measured at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   For each local laboratory measure, summary statistics are presented by treatment group and timepoint.
5. Chemistry and Hematology Laboratory Measures - Creatinine [ Time Frame: Measured at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   For each local laboratory measure, summary statistics are presented by treatment group and timepoint.
6. Chemistry and Hematology Laboratory Measures - Hemoglobin [ Time Frame: Measured at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   For each local laboratory measure, summary statistics are presented by treatment group and timepoint.
7. Chemistry and Hematology Laboratory Measures - Lymphocyte Count, Neutrophil Count [ Time Frame: Measured at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   For each local laboratory measure, summary statistics are presented by treatment group and timepoint.
8. Chemistry and Hematology Laboratory Measures - Platelets, White Blood Cells (WBC) [ Time Frame: Measured at Weeks 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   For each local laboratory measure, summary statistics are presented by treatment group and timepoint.
9. Chemistry and Hematology Laboratory Measures Meeting Grade 3 AE Criteria or Above [ Time Frame: Measured at Weeks 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72. ]
   The number (percentage) of participants with chemistry and hematology laboratory measures meeting grade 3 AE criteria or above as specified in the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Table for Grading the Severity of Adult and Pediatric Adverse Events, Version 2.1 [July 2017] is tabulated by treatment group and timepoint. Excludes measures taken prior to exposure to study product at Week 0/Infusion 1.
10. Number of Participants With Early Infusion Discontinuation and Reasons for Discontinuation [ Time Frame: Measured through Week 72 (the last infusion visit). ]
    The number (percentage) of participants with early permanent discontinuation of infusions and their reason for discontinuation is summarized by treatment group. Includes all discontinuations documented on a study case report form.
11. Incidence Rate of Early Infusion Discontinuation [ Time Frame: Measured through Week 72 (the last infusion visit). ]
    Incidence rate (95% CI) of early infusion discontinuation per 100 person years. Includes discontinuations documented on a study case report form and operational discontinuations defined as 20 consecutive weeks without participant contact. Discontinuations due to pregnancy, death, or HIV-1 infection are right-censored.
12. Number of Participants With Documented HIV-1 Infection by the Week 80 Visit [ Time Frame: Measured through Week 80. ]
    Prevention efficacy (PE) is measured as 1 minus the ratio (VRC01:control) of cumulative incidences of HIV-1 infection diagnosis between enrollment and the week 80 visit for assessment of the primary efficacy end point. Cumulative incidence was estimated with the Nelson-Aalen estimator for the cumulative hazard function, with stratification according to VRC01 dose and trial.

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. Serum Concentration of VRC01 in Participants Assigned to Receive the mAb [ Time Frame: Day 61 (5 days post infusion #2), Midpoint (4-weeks post infusion visits): Weeks 4, 12, 16, 28, 36, 44, 52, 60, 68, 76 and Trough (infusion visits): Pre dose at Weeks 0 (study entry), 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, and 72. ]
   The pharmacokinetic analyses of VRC01 involved a subgroup of VRC01 recipients who had not acquired HIV-1 infection through the week 88 visit and were not likely to have used preexposure prophylaxis (on the basis of self-report or testing of dried blood-spot samples), randomly sampled among the trials and dose groups. Midpoint and trough concentrations are the participant-level median concentrations at the 4-week and 8-week postinfusion visits, respectively, across all 10 infusion intervals.
2. VRC01 Clinical Lot Neutralization of Founder Viruses (IC80) [ Time Frame: Measured through Week 80. ]
   The VRC01 80% inhibitory concentration (IC80) of acquired isolates was measured with the TZM-bl assay using the earliest available post-HIV-infection serum sample. Median and IQR are summarized immediately below, then the analysis of prevention efficacy was repeated for each of three prespecified categories of in vitro susceptibility of the infecting strain (IC80 less than 1 μg per milliliter, 1 to 3 μg per milliliter, or >3 μg per milliliter) with the use of the Aalen-Johansen estimator.
3. VRC01 Serum Neutralization of Autologous Founder Viruses (ID50, ID80) [ Time Frame: First RNA+ Sample detected from baseline up to Week 104. ]
   Autologous titer (ID50, ID80) summaries, based on most sensitive virus, for first RNA+ samples from a subset of HIV-infected VRC01 recipients. Values below the limit of detection (less than 10) were set to NA. Summaries are only computed for the Pooled VRC01 arm.

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years to 50 Years (Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: Male
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

General and Demographic Criteria

• Age of 18 to 50 years
• Access to a participating clinical research site (CRS) and willingness to be followed for the planned duration of the study
• Ability and willingness to provide informed consent
• Assessment of understanding: volunteer demonstrates understanding of this study and completes a questionnaire prior to first infusion with verbal demonstration of understanding of all questionnaire items answered incorrectly
• Agrees not to enroll in another study of an investigational research agent for the duration of the participant's trial participation
• Good general health as shown by medical history, physical exam, and screening laboratory tests

HIV-Related Criteria

• Willingness to receive HIV test results
• Willingness to discuss HIV infection risks and amenable to HIV risk reduction counseling

• Persons born Male or identifying as Transgender (TG) (male-to-female or female-to-male, see HVTN 704/HPTN 085 SSP) who, in the 6 months prior to randomization, experienced 1 or both of the following HIV risk criteria:

  • Condomless anal intercourse with 1 or more male or transgender partner(s)
  • Anal intercourse with 2 or more male or transgender partners
• Male-to-female and female-to-male TG volunteers are eligible. Receipt of hormonal therapy does not make a TG volunteer ineligible.
• Volunteers who have been in a mutually monogamous relationship with an HIV-1 seronegative partner for greater than 1 year are excluded.

Laboratory Inclusion Values:

Hematology

• Hemoglobin (Hgb) greater than or equal to 10.5 g/dL for volunteers who were born female, greater than or equal to 13.0 g/dL for volunteers who were born male (greater than or equal to 12.0 g/dL for transgender women taking feminizing hormones [e.g., anti-androgens, estrogens])
• Platelets greater than or equal to 100,000 cells/mm^3

Chemistry

• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) less than 2.5 times the institutional upper limit of normal and creatinine less than or equal to 1.25 times the institutional upper limit of normal

Virology

• HIV uninfected, as defined in the SSP, within 30 days prior to enrollment

Urine

• Negative, trace, or 1+ (30 g/L for semi-quantitative) urine protein by dipstick

Reproductive Status

• Volunteers capable of becoming pregnant: negative serum or urine beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) pregnancy test performed at the screening visit and prior to infusion on the day of initial infusion. Persons who are NOT capable of becoming pregnant due to having undergone total hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy (verified by medical records) are not required to undergo pregnancy testing.
• Reproductive Status: A volunteer who is capable of becoming pregnant must agree to consistently use effective contraception (see the protocol and SSP for more information) for sexual activity that could lead to pregnancy from at least 21 days prior to enrollment through the last required protocol clinic visit.
• Volunteers capable of becoming pregnant must also agree not to seek pregnancy through alternative methods, such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization until after the last required protocol clinic visit

Exclusion Criteria:

General

• Investigational research agents received within 30 days before first infusion
• Body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 40
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Any reactive, indeterminate, or positive HIV test, even if subsequent testing indicates that the individual is not HIV infected, except as permitted by the HVTN 704/HPTN 085 Protocol Safety Review Team (PSRT).

Vaccines

• HIV vaccine(s) received in a prior HIV vaccine trial. For volunteers who have received control/placebo in an HIV vaccine trial, the HVTN 704/HPTN 085 PSRT will determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

Immune System

• Serious adverse reactions to VRC01 formulation components such as sodium citrate, sodium chloride, and L-arginine hydrochloride, including history of anaphylaxis and related symptoms such as hives, respiratory difficulty, angioedema, and/or abdominal pain.
• Autoimmune disease, including Type I diabetes mellitus (Not excluded from participation: Volunteer with mild, stable and uncomplicated autoimmune disease that does not require consistent immunosuppressive medication and that, in the judgment of the site investigator, is likely not subject to exacerbation and likely not to complicate reactogenicity and AE assessments)
• Immunodeficiency syndrome

Clinically Significant Medical Conditions

• Clinically significant medical condition, physical examination findings, clinically significant abnormal laboratory results, or past medical history with clinically significant implications for current health. A clinically significant condition or process includes but is not limited to:

  • Any contraindication to repeated infusions or blood draws, including inability to establish venous access;
  • A condition that requires active medical intervention or monitoring to avert grave danger to the volunteer's health or well-being during the study period; or
  • A condition or process for which signs or symptoms could be confused with reactions to VRC01.
• Any medical, psychiatric, occupational, or other condition that, in the judgment of the investigator, would interfere with, or serve as a contraindication to, protocol adherence, assessment of safety or infusion reactions, or a volunteer's ability to give informed consent
• Psychiatric condition that precludes compliance with the protocol. Specifically excluded are persons with psychoses within the past 3 years, ongoing risk for suicide, or history of suicide attempt or gesture within the past 3 years.
• Asthma, other than mild, well-controlled asthma
• Bleeding disorder diagnosed by a doctor (e.g., factor deficiency, coagulopathy, or platelet disorder requiring special precautions)
• Malignancy (Not excluded from participation: Volunteer who has had malignancy excised surgically and who, in the investigator's estimation, has a reasonable assurance of sustained cure, or who is unlikely to experience recurrence of malignancy during the period of the study)
• Seizure disorder: History of seizure(s) within past three years. Also exclude if volunteer has used medications in order to prevent or treat seizure(s) at any time within the past 3 years.
• History of hereditary angioedema, acquired angioedema, or idiopathic angioedema
• History of receiving transplantation of life-saving organs or tissues (includes heart, kidney, pancreas, lungs, liver, and intestines)
• Known hepatic or renal dysfunction

Contacts and Locations

Locations

United States, Alabama

Alabama CRS

Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35294

United States, California

UCLA Vine Street Clinic CRS

Los Angeles, California, United States, 90024

Bridge HIV CRS

San Francisco, California, United States, 94143

United States, District of Columbia

George Washington Univ. CRS

Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20006

United States, Georgia

The Ponce de Leon Center CRS

Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30308-2012

The Hope Clinic of the Emory Vaccine Center CRS

Decatur, Georgia, United States, 30030

United States, Massachusetts

Brigham and Women's Hospital Vaccine CRS (BWH VCRS)

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115-6110

Fenway Health (FH) CRS

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215-4302

United States, New Jersey

New Jersey Medical School Clinical Research Center CRS

Newark, New Jersey, United States, 07103

United States, New York

Bronx Prevention Research Center CRS

Bronx, New York, United States, 10451

Harlem Prevention Center CRS

New York, New York, United States, 10027

Columbia P&S CRS

New York, New York, United States, 10032-3732

New York Blood Center CRS

New York, New York, United States, 10065

University of Rochester Vaccines to Prevent HIV Infection CRS

Rochester, New York, United States, 14642

United States, North Carolina

Chapel Hill CRS

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599

United States, Ohio

Case Clinical Research Site

Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106

United States, Pennsylvania

Penn Prevention CRS

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104

United States, Tennessee

Vanderbilt Vaccine (VV) CRS

Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232-2582

United States, Washington

Seattle Vaccine and Prevention CRS

Seattle, Washington, United States, 98109-1024

Brazil

Instituto de Pesquisa Clinica Evandro Chagas (IPEC) CRS

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 21040-360

Peru

CITBM - UNIDEC, Centro de Investigaciones Tecnológicas, Biomédicas y Medioambientales CRS

Bellavista, Callao, Peru, 15081

ACSA CRS

Iquitos, Maynas, Peru, 1

Barranco CRS

Lima, Peru, 04

San Miguel CRS

Lima, Peru, 32

Via Libre CRS

Lima, Peru, Lima 01

Switzerland

Lausanne Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center CRS

Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland, 1011

Sponsors and Collaborators

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Investigators

• Study Chair: Lawrence Corey; HVTN; FHCRC
• Study Chair: Myron Cohen; HPTN; University of North Carolina

  Study Documents (Full-Text)

Documents provided by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID):

Study Protocol  [PDF] June 15, 2017

Statistical Analysis Plan  [PDF] July 7, 2020

Informed Consent Form  [PDF] June 15, 2017

More Information

Publications of Results:

Edupuganti S, Mgodi N, Karuna ST, Andrew P, Rudnicki E, Kochar N, deCamp A, De La Grecca R, Anderson M, Karg C, Tindale I, Greene E, Broder GB, Lucas J, Hural J, Gallardo-Cartagena JA, Gonzales P, Frank I, Sobieszczyk M, Gomez Lorenzo MM, Burns D, Anderson PL, Miner MD, Ledgerwood J, Mascola JR, Gilbert PB, Cohen MS, Corey L; HVTN 704/HPTN 085 study group. Feasibility and Successful Enrollment in a Proof-of-Concept HIV Prevention Trial of VRC01, a Broadly Neutralizing HIV-1 Monoclonal Antibody. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2021 May 1;87(1):671-679. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002639.

Mgodi NM, Takuva S, Edupuganti S, Karuna S, Andrew P, Lazarus E, Garnett P, Shava E, Mukwekwerere PG, Kochar N, Marshall K, Rudnicki E, Juraska M, Anderson M, Karg C, Tindale I, Greene E, Luthuli N, Baepanye K, Hural J, Gomez Lorenzo MM, Burns D, Miner MD, Ledgerwood J, Mascola JR, Donnell D, Cohen MS, Corey L; HVTN 703/HPTN 081 Team. A Phase 2b Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of VRC01 Broadly Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody in Reducing Acquisition of HIV-1 Infection in Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: Baseline Findings. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2021 May 1;87(1):680-687. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002649.

Huang Y, Naidoo L, Zhang L, Carpp LN, Rudnicki E, Randhawa A, Gonzales P, McDermott A, Ledgerwood J, Lorenzo MMG, Burns D, DeCamp A, Juraska M, Mascola J, Edupuganti S, Mgodi N, Cohen M, Corey L, Andrew P, Karuna S, Gilbert PB, Mngadi K, Lazarus E. Pharmacokinetics and predicted neutralisation coverage of VRC01 in HIV-uninfected participants of the Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP) trials. EBioMedicine. 2021 Feb;64:103203. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.103203. Epub 2021 Jan 23.

Huang Y, Zhang L, Eaton A, Mkhize NN, Carpp LN, Rudnicki E, DeCamp A, Juraska M, Randhawa A, McDermott A, Ledgerwood J, Andrew P, Karuna S, Edupuganti S, Mgodi N, Cohen M, Corey L, Mascola J, Gilbert PB, Morris L, Montefiori DC. Prediction of serum HIV-1 neutralization titers of VRC01 in HIV-uninfected Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP) trial participants. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2022 Dec 31;18(1):1908030. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1908030. Epub 2021 Jul 2.

Corey L, Gilbert PB, Juraska M, Montefiori DC, Morris L, Karuna ST, Edupuganti S, Mgodi NM, deCamp AC, Rudnicki E, Huang Y, Gonzales P, Cabello R, Orrell C, Lama JR, Laher F, Lazarus EM, Sanchez J, Frank I, Hinojosa J, Sobieszczyk ME, Marshall KE, Mukwekwerere PG, Makhema J, Baden LR, Mullins JI, Williamson C, Hural J, McElrath MJ, Bentley C, Takuva S, Gomez Lorenzo MM, Burns DN, Espy N, Randhawa AK, Kochar N, Piwowar-Manning E, Donnell DJ, Sista N, Andrew P, Kublin JG, Gray G, Ledgerwood JE, Mascola JR, Cohen MS; HVTN 704/HPTN 085 and HVTN 703/HPTN 081 Study Teams. Two Randomized Trials of Neutralizing Antibodies to Prevent HIV-1 Acquisition. N Engl J Med. 2021 Mar 18;384(11):1003-1014. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2031738.

• Responsible Party: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02716675
• Other Study ID Numbers: HVTN 704/HPTN 085; 30095 ( Registry Identifier: DAIDS-ES Registry Number )
• First Posted: March 23, 2016
• Results First Posted: February 8, 2022
• Last Update Posted: February 23, 2022
• Last Verified: February 2022

Keywords provided by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID):

HIV-1 Infections

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Infections; Communicable Diseases; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes