An HIV vaccine under development in the United States proved safe, but did not offer protection against contracting the human immunodeficiency virus, and was therefore discontinued, according to a statement issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Xinhua and UPI report, Agerpres reads.

The late-stage clinical trial, titled HPX3002/HVTN 706 or „Mosaico,” began in 2019 and involved 3,900 MSM and transgender volunteers aged 18 to 60 from Europe, America of North and South America.

This study was led by the HIV Vaccine Clinical Trials Network, funded by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The experimental vaccine was developed by Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). It relied on „mosaic” immunogens — vaccine components that contain elements of multiple HIV subtypes — with the goal of inducing immune responses against a wide range of HIV strains, according to the NIH.

The result is „disappointing, but it is not the end of the effort to develop a vaccine,” former NIH director Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with the New York Times.

„There are other strategic approaches. The ultimate prevention for any infection, especially viral infection, is a safe and effective vaccine,” he said.

„This is the reason why very active research in this direction will continue in this field,” added Fauci.

A separate study of an HIV vaccine concluded with similar results in 2021. Researchers who conducted that study, which involved women in five sub-Saharan African countries, also concluded that the treatment was safe but ineffective for protection against HIV.

Agerpres