RINJ encouraging HIV suppression in wake of vaccine fail

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“Our HIV/AIDS Helpline is getting calls from worried folks who have heard the news of a failed HIV vaccine trial this week. I said we are focused on suppressing the virus with existing medications as you should be, because that does work,” explained an on-duty nurse taking calls on the RINJ global Helpline. 

RINJ Women for over a decade have been focused on preventing HIV. Testing and treating persons with HIV disease spread by sexual violence was how the project began. Any person who seeks to prevent HIV, test for HIV or treat HIV may free of charge avail themselves of the RINJ test and treat project. 

“The catastrophic world war in Ukraine where 55 nations battle Russia, hoping to deplete that country as a competitor to the USA, until Russia is extinguished, is spreading HIV like the plague in decimated Ukraine. The spread of HIV was already bad but the war-time sexual violence in the communities is worsening the spread of HIV and other diseases including hepatitis, explained Alona Adamovich who is a humanitarian official in the Donbass region for The RINJ Foundation, operating women’s shelters and birthing clinics.

“The amount of data and knowledge gained from the recently terminated Mosaico project will drive forward the quest for a vaccine against HIV,” said The RINJ Foundation‘s Dr. Nassima al Amouri who says she is not discouraged at all and has been watching with great interest, projects that combine HIV vaccines and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicines that are yielding good outcomes in early testing.

One such project began in 2018 and will be continuing through 2024.

“There are other promising avenues of research including a treatment/vaccination combination approach,” said Dr. al Amouri in an interview for this article.

PrEPVacc Org Project shows great promise

PrEPVacc

PrEPVacc is an African-led, European-supported HIV prevention study running in East and Southern Africa. Photo courtesy: PrEPVacc Org. Photo is scaled and cropped.
Art/Cropping/Enhancement: Rosa Yamamoto / Feminine-Perspective-Magazine

“The PrEPVacc Africa-led team, backed by the European Union is running a clinical trial at four sites in three countries: in Masaka, Uganda; Mbeya, Tanzania; Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania and Durban, South Africa. I am very excited about the outcomes I am hearing about in professional but confidential over-the-fence sharing,” she added.

Phase 3 of the Mosaico study: Mosaico not effective in preventing HIV infection.

The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, together with a consortium of global partners, announced this past week the results of an independent, scheduled data review of their Phase 3 Mosaico study (also known as HPX3002/HVTN706) of Janssen’s investigational HIV vaccine regimen. The study’s independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) determined that the regimen was not effective in preventing HIV infection compared to placebo among study participants. No safety issues with the vaccine regimen were identified.

Mosaico clinical trial discontinued.

“We are disappointed with this outcome and stand in solidarity with the people and communities vulnerable to and affected by HIV,” said Penny Heaton, MD, Global Therapeutic Area Head, Vaccines, Janssen Research & Development, LLC.

“Though there have been significant advances in prevention since the beginning of the global epidemic, [a known number of] 1.5 million people acquired HIV in 2021 alone, underscoring the high unmet need for new options and why we have long worked to tackle this global health challenge. 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. We are grateful to our Mosaico partners and the study investigators, staff and participants.”

“The following message of encouragement is being stressed by RINJ Women volunteer workers, explained Dr. Nassima al Amouri.

HIV-AIDS Test-Treat against HIV

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