Nine-valent HPV Vaccine to Prevent Persistent Oral HPV Infection in Men Living With HIV

Overview

This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled Phase III interventional trial of the nine-valent HPV vaccine (9vHPV) to prevent persistent oral HPV infection in adult cisgender men and transgender women living with HIV.

Study Type

  • Study Type: Interventional
  • Study Design
    • Allocation: Randomized
    • Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
    • Primary Purpose: Prevention
    • Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
  • Study Primary Completion Date: April 2026

Detailed Description

Cisgender men and transgender women ages 20-50 years living with HIV will be enrolled at affiliated clinical sites of the University of Puerto Rico, the National Institute of Public Health, Mexico, and University of São Paulo, Brazil. Participants will have a baseline blood draw for serum HPV antibodies and stored plasma, an oral rinse for HPV testing, stored anal and genital samples for HPV testing as well as a baseline questionnaire about risk factors for oral HPV infection and oropharyngeal cancer. Five-hundred participants will be randomized in a 1:1 allocation to receive 9vHPV or placebo at Day 1, Month 2 and Month 6. Randomization will be stratified based on clinical site (Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico) and age (20-30, 31-40, 41-50 years). The age range of enrolled participants will be monitored to ensure enrollment of an approximately even distribution of participants across the age range. 700 participants will be enrolled Follow-up testing for oral HPV will be conducted at Months 2, 6, 7, 12 and every 6 months thereafter up to 42 months post-vaccination. The rationale for oral testing at Months 2 and 6 is to identify participants who are oral HPV positive prior to receiving the full 3 doses of vaccine. In addition, collection of anal canal and genital specimens (penile head, shaft, scrotum) will occur at Day 1, Months 7, 12 and every 6 months thereafter up to 60 months post-randomization. These specimens will be stored for future studies of HIV and HPV and as such will not be analyzed as part of this study. Blood will be stored for serum HPV antibody testing at month 7, 12 and every 12 months thereafter. Participants will undergo a follow-up questionnaire on risk factors for oral HPV and oropharyngeal cancer. Participants will be assessed for adverse events at each follow-up visit. This is a 5 year study. Participants who received placebo will be offered 9vHPV vaccine at the end of the study free of charge. The trial analyses will be case driven with case counting commencing at Month 7, one month post-dose 3. The primary analysis will take place when at least 14 cases of the primary endpoint (incident persistent oral HPV infection with HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, or 58) have been observed.

Interventions

  • Biological: 9 valent human papillomavirus vaccine (Types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58)
    • Gardasil-9 HPV vaccine
  • Other: Saline Placebo
    • Saline Placebo

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • Experimental: 9-valent HPV vaccine
    • Participants receive 9-valent HPV vaccine 0.5mL at entry, Month 2 and Month 6
  • Placebo Comparator: Saline Placebo
    • Participants receive 0.9% NaCl 0.5 mL at entry, Month 2 and Month 6

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • Number of participants with new persistent oral HPV infections with one or more of the following types: 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, or 58
    • Time Frame: From Month 7 up to Month 60
    • The primary endpoint is incident persistent oral HPV infection with HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, or 58 occurring among participants who remain oral HPV negative to the relevant HPV type through the vaccination period (Day 1-Month 6). Newly acquired oral HPV infections that persist for two or more consecutive oral HPV assessments at least 16 weeks apart with the same 9vHPV detected are defined as “persistent”. Case counting will commence with the Month 7 clinical visit and may occur at any timepoint through the final visit, which may be as along as Month 42 for some participants.

Secondary Measures

  • Immunogenicity of 9-valent HPV vaccine as measured by proportion of participants experiencing seroconversion for vaccine type.
    • Time Frame: Month 7
    • To evaluate our secondary immunogenicity endpoint, we will assess the proportion of men who seroconvert to the HPV vaccine types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, or 58 (both in grouped and type-specific analyses) in serum one month post-dose three (Month 7) using the Wilson’s method. Men who enter the study seronegative for a particular HPV vaccine type will be monitored for seroconversion following three doses of 9vHPV.
  • Safety and tolerability of 9-valent HPV vaccine as measured by proportion of participants with >= grade 3 adverse events related to study vaccination or Grade 1 or 2 events leading to premature discontinuation of vaccination, or serious adverse events.
    • Time Frame: Baseline through Month 7
    • To evaluate the secondary safety and tolerability endpoint, we will report the proportion of participants experiencing a grade 3 or 4 adverse event at least possibly related to study vaccine, grade 1 or 2 adverse events leading to premature discontinuation of vaccine or placebo, and serious adverse events.

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • HIV-1 infection – Receipt of antiretroviral therapy for at least 6 months – Sexually active in the past 6 months; sexual activity is defined as insertive penile-vaginal sex, receptive or insertive penile-anal sex, oral-anal sex, or oral-genital sex Willingness to comply with three-dose vaccine schedule and subsequent six-month visits for up to four years after randomization. Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have a history of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) or other HPV-related cancer or have suspected OPC or other HPV-related cancer; – Have received any doses of a licensed or experimental HPV vaccine or have participated in an HPV vaccine study, – Have a history of anaphylaxis to vaccines or are allergic to any vaccine component (e.g.aluminum, yeast, benzonase); – Have received any blood products within six months of enrollment, or are currently taking immune-suppressants. – Currently have warts/lesions in the oral cavity. – Plan to relocate during the study period. – Have AIDS-defining condition within 6 months prior to study entry.

Gender Eligibility: Male

Cisgender men and transgender women are eligible

Minimum Age: 20 Years

Maximum Age: 50 Years

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: No

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • Weill Medical College of Cornell University
  • Collaborator
    • H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Sponsor
  • Overall Official(s)
    • Timothy Wilkin, MD, MPH, Principal Investigator, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
  • Overall Contact(s)
    • Caíque Mello, MPH, 212-746-7204, cam2358@med.cornell.edu

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