Tag: imbokodo

In Search For An Elusive HIV Vaccine: Zimbabwean Scientists Dig Deeper For Answers after Imbokodo Trials

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Over the past few years, several interventions have been developed as the world intensifies the fight against HIV and AIDS. These include combined strategies such as behavioral, biomedical, and surgical methods to prevent HIV like Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC). For other epidemics such as smallpox, polio, measles and COVID-19, vaccines saved the day as they proved to be efficient tools against the further spread of infections. However, for HIV, it has been a different story altogether. On May 18 every year, the world unites to commemorate World…

Read More

Mutating HIV Virus Making It Difficult To Develop Vaccine

Michael Gwarisa

THE ever-changing genetic makeup and rapid mutation of the HIV virus has to a larger extent slowed down progress towards successfully developing an effective HIV vaccine, a top Zimbabwean expert has said. By Michael Gwarisa The revelations also follow the recent abandonment of the Imbokodo HIV vaccine or HVTN 705/HPX2008 efficacy studies after revelations that the vaccine was not granting enough protection against infection. In an interview with HealthTimes, Dr Portia Hunidzarira, the Principal Researcher for the Imbokodo vaccine studies said the HIV virus mutates at a faster rate and…

Read More

Imbokodo HIV Vaccine Study Was A Learning Phase

Patricia Mashiri

Dr Portia Hunidzarira, the Imbokodo Principal Researcher said the discontinuation of the HVTN 705/HPX2008 or Imbokodo study gave researchers and scientist a new platform to learn and develop evidence  for future studies that might lead to an HIV vaccine breakthrough. By Patricia Mashiri She said the vaccine proved to be safe and caused no harm to participants even though it was unable to provide sufficient protection to prevent HIV infection which the study was looking. The study which commenced in 2017 and concluded vaccinations in June 2020 wanted to test…

Read More

HIV Vaccine Trials Discontinued After It Fails To Prevent HIV Infection

Michael Gwarisa

THE HVTN 705/HPX2008 or Imbokodo study, which began in 2017 to test whether the Imbokodo vaccine regimen could prevent women in Sub-Saharfan Africa from getting HIV has been discontinued following indications that the vaccine did not provide sufficient protection against infection. By Michael Gwarisa In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said data showed the investigational HIV  vaccine regimen did not provide sufficient protection against HIV infection in a population of young women in sub–Saharan Africa at high risk of acquiring HIV even though the investigational vaccine was found to have…

Read More

Researchers Not Giving Up On Imbokodo HIV Vaccine Study

Healthtimes

PERSISTENT researchers feel the halted HTVN 702 study on the efficacy of an HIV vaccine will not affect the Imbokodo Vaccine Trial study launched in 2017. By Kudakwashe Pembere HVTN  702 study was stopped following an interim analysis conducted on 23 January 2020 by an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) that reviews all data regularly to ensure the safety of participants and determine if the study should continue. The DSMB assessment concluded that the experimental vaccine regimen used in the trial did not prevent HIV infection. The vaccine…

Read More