Dynamic borrowing of historical controls adjusting for covariates in vaccine efficacy clinical trials.

Traditional vaccine efficacy trials usually use fixed designs and often require large sample sizes. Recruiting a large number of subjects can make the trial expensive, long, and difficult to conduct. A possible approach to reduce the sample size and speed up the development is to use historical controls. In this paper, we extend the robust mixture prior (RMP) approach (a well established approach for Bayesian dynamic borrowing of historical controls) to adjust for covariates. The adjustment is done using classical methods from causal inference: inverse probability of treatment weighting, G-computation and double-robust estimation. We evaluate these covariate-adjusted RMP approaches using a comprehensive simulation study and demonstrate their use by performing a retrospective analysis of a prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccine efficacy trial. Adjusting for covariates reduces the drift between current and historical controls, with a beneficial effect on bias, control of type I error and power.

Vaccine clinical trials with dynamic borrowing of historical controls: Two retrospective studies.

Traditional vaccine efficacy trials usually use fixed designs with fairly large sample sizes. Recruiting a large number of subjects requires longer time and higher costs. Furthermore, vaccine developers are more than ever facing the need to accelerate vaccine development to fulfill the public's medical needs. A possible approach to accelerate development is to use the method of dynamic borrowing of historical controls in clinical trials. In this paper, we evaluate the feasibility and the performance of this approach in vaccine development by retrospectively analyzing two real vaccine studies: a relatively small immunological trial (typical early phase study) and a large vaccine efficacy trial (typical Phase 3 study) assessing prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccine. Results are promising, particularly for early development immunological studies, where the adaptive design is feasible, and control of type I error is less relevant.

Association Between Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity: A Post Hoc Analysis of 2 Phase 3 Studies With the Adjuvanted Recombinant Zoster Vaccine.

A recurrent question is whether transient reactions to vaccines translate into better immune responses. Using clinical data from 2 large phase 3 studies of the recombinant zoster vaccine, we observed a small but statistically significant association between the intensity of a frequent side effect (pain) after vaccination and immune responses to vaccination. However, despite the statistical correlation, the impact on the immune response is so small, and the immune response in individuals without pain already sufficient, that pain cannot be a surrogate marker for an appropriate immune response. Reactogenicity cannot be used to predict immunity after vaccination.

The Adjuvanted Recombinant Zoster Vaccine Confers Long-Term Protection Against Herpes Zoster: Interim Results of an Extension Study of the Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Trials ZOE-50 and ZOE-70.

BACKGROUND: This ongoing follow-up study evaluated the persistence of efficacy and immune responses for 6 additional years in adults vaccinated with the glycoprotein E (gE)-based adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) at age ≥50 years in 2 pivotal efficacy trials (ZOE-50 and ZOE-70). The present interim analysis was performed after ≥2 additional years of follow-up (between 5.1 and 7.1 years [mean] post-vaccination) and includes partial data for year (Y) 8 post-vaccination. METHODS: Annual assessments were performed for efficacy against herpes zoster (HZ) from Y6 post-vaccination and for anti-gE antibody concentrations and gE-specific CD4[2+] T-cell (expressing ≥2 of 4 assessed activation markers) frequencies from Y5 post-vaccination. RESULTS: Of 7413 participants enrolled for the long-term efficacy assessment, 7277 (mean age at vaccination, 67.2 years), 813, and 108 were included in the cohorts evaluating efficacy, humoral immune responses, and cell-mediated immune responses, respectively. Efficacy of RZV against HZ through this interim analysis was 84.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 75.9-89.8) from the start of this follow-up study and 90.9% (95% CI, 88.2-93.2) from vaccination in ZOE-50/70. Annual vaccine efficacy estimates were >84% for each year since vaccination and remained stable through this interim analysis. Anti-gE antibody geometric mean concentrations and median frequencies of gE-specific CD4[2+] T cells reached a plateau at approximately 6-fold above pre-vaccination levels. CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy against HZ and immune responses to RZV remained high, suggesting that the clinical benefit of RZV in older adults is sustained for at least 7 years post-vaccination. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT02723773.

Efficacy and serious adverse events profile of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine in adults with pre-existing potential immune-mediated diseases: a pooled post hoc analysis on two parallel randomized trials.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: In the ZOE-50 (NCT01165177) and ZOE-70 (NCT01165229) phase 3 clinical trials, the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) demonstrated ≥90% efficacy in preventing herpes zoster (HZ) in all age groups ≥50 years. Given the increased HZ risk associated with certain underlying autoimmune diseases or their treatment regimes, we conducted a post hoc analysis of RZV's efficacy against HZ and safety profile [specifically, the occurrence of serious adverse events (SAEs)] in ZOE-50/70 participants who reported pre-existing potential immune-mediated diseases (pIMDs) at enrolment and were not on immunosuppressive therapies. METHODS: Adults aged ≥50 (ZOE-50) and ≥70 (ZOE-70) years were randomized to receive two doses of RZV or placebo 2 months apart. In this subgroup analysis of participants with at least one pIMD at enrolment, the efficacy was calculated for two-dose recipients who did not develop confirmed HZ before 30 days post-dose 2. SAE occurrence was evaluated for all participants who received at least one dose. RESULTS: Of the 14 645 RZV and 14 660 placebo recipients from the ZOE-50/70 studies, 983 and 960, respectively, reported at least one pre-existing pIMD at enrolment and were included in these analyses. The most frequent pre-existing conditions were psoriasis, spondyloarthropathy and RA. Efficacy against HZ was 90.5% (95% CI: 73.5, 97.5%) overall with the lowest being 84.4% (95% CI: 30.8, 98.3%) in the 70-79-year-old age group. SAEs and fatal SAEs were similar between RZV and placebo recipients. CONCLUSION: In ZOE-50/70 participants with pre-existing pIMDs, RZV was highly efficacious against HZ and SAE incidence was similar between RZV and placebo recipients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01165177 (ZOE-50), NCT01165229 (ZOE-70).

Assurance in vaccine efficacy clinical trial design based on immunological responses.

The assurance of a future clinical trial is a key quantitative tool for decision-making in drug development. It is derived from prior knowledge (Bayesian approach) about the clinical endpoint of interest, typically from previous clinical trials. In this paper, we examine assurance in the specific context of vaccine development, where early development (Phase 2) is often based on immunological endpoints (e.g., antibody levels), while the confirmatory trial (Phase 3) is based on the clinical endpoint (very large sample sizes and long follow-up). Our proposal is to use the Phase 2 vaccine efficacy predicted by the immunological endpoint (using a model estimated from epidemiological studies) as prior information for the calculation of the assurance.

Efficacy of the Herpes Zoster Subunit Vaccine in Adults 70 Years of Age or Older.

BACKGROUND: A trial involving adults 50 years of age or older (ZOE-50) showed that the herpes zoster subunit vaccine (HZ/su) containing recombinant varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E and the AS01B adjuvant system was associated with a risk of herpes zoster that was 97.2% lower than that associated with placebo. A second trial was performed concurrently at the same sites and examined the safety and efficacy of HZ/su in adults 70 years of age or older (ZOE-70). METHODS: This randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial was conducted in 18 countries and involved adults 70 years of age or older. Participants received two doses of HZ/su or placebo (assigned in a 1:1 ratio) administered intramuscularly 2 months apart. Vaccine efficacy against herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia was assessed in participants from ZOE-70 and in participants pooled from ZOE-70 and ZOE-50. RESULTS: In ZOE-70, 13,900 participants who could be evaluated (mean age, 75.6 years) received either HZ/su (6950 participants) or placebo (6950 participants). During a mean follow-up period of 3.7 years, herpes zoster occurred in 23 HZ/su recipients and in 223 placebo recipients (0.9 vs. 9.2 per 1000 person-years). Vaccine efficacy against herpes zoster was 89.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 84.2 to 93.7; P<0.001) and was similar in participants 70 to 79 years of age (90.0%) and participants 80 years of age or older (89.1%). In pooled analyses of data from participants 70 years of age or older in ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 (16,596 participants), vaccine efficacy against herpes zoster was 91.3% (95% CI, 86.8 to 94.5; P<0.001), and vaccine efficacy against postherpetic neuralgia was 88.8% (95% CI, 68.7 to 97.1; P<0.001). Solicited reports of injection-site and systemic reactions within 7 days after injection were more frequent among HZ/su recipients than among placebo recipients (79.0% vs. 29.5%). Serious adverse events, potential immune-mediated diseases, and deaths occurred with similar frequencies in the two study groups. CONCLUSIONS: In our trial, HZ/su was found to reduce the risks of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia among adults 70 years of age or older. (Funded by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals; ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01165177 and NCT01165229 .).

Efficacy of an adjuvanted herpes zoster subunit vaccine in older adults.

BACKGROUND: In previous phase 1-2 clinical trials involving older adults, a subunit vaccine containing varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E and the AS01B adjuvant system (called HZ/su) had a clinically acceptable safety profile and elicited a robust immune response. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study in 18 countries to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HZ/su in older adults (≥50 years of age), stratified according to age group (50 to 59, 60 to 69, and ≥70 years). Participants received two intramuscular doses of the vaccine or placebo 2 months apart. The primary objective was to assess the efficacy of the vaccine, as compared with placebo, in reducing the risk of herpes zoster in older adults. RESULTS: A total of 15,411 participants who could be evaluated received either the vaccine (7698 participants) or placebo (7713 participants). During a mean follow-up of 3.2 years, herpes zoster was confirmed in 6 participants in the vaccine group and in 210 participants in the placebo group (incidence rate, 0.3 vs. 9.1 per 1000 person-years) in the modified vaccinated cohort. Overall vaccine efficacy against herpes zoster was 97.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 93.7 to 99.0; P<0.001). Vaccine efficacy was between 96.6% and 97.9% for all age groups. Solicited reports of injection-site and systemic reactions within 7 days after vaccination were more frequent in the vaccine group. There were solicited or unsolicited reports of grade 3 symptoms in 17.0% of vaccine recipients and 3.2% of placebo recipients. The proportions of participants who had serious adverse events or potential immune-mediated diseases or who died were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The HZ/su vaccine significantly reduced the risk of herpes zoster in adults who were 50 years of age or older. Vaccine efficacy in adults who were 70 years of age or older was similar to that in the other two age groups. (Funded by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals; ZOE-50 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01165177.).

Cross-protective efficacy of HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine against cervical infection and precancer caused by non-vaccine oncogenic HPV types: 4-year end-of-study analysis of the randomised, double-blind PATRICIA trial.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the efficacy of the human papillomavirus HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine against non-vaccine oncogenic HPV types in the end-of-study analysis after 4 years of follow-up in PATRICIA (PApilloma TRIal against Cancer In young Adults). METHODS: Healthy women aged 15-25 years with no more than six lifetime sexual partners were included in PATRICIA irrespective of their baseline HPV DNA status, HPV-16 or HPV-18 serostatus, or cytology. Women were randomly assigned (1:1) to HPV-16/18 vaccine or a control hepatitis A vaccine, via an internet-based central randomisation system using a minimisation algorithm to account for age ranges and study sites. The study was double-blind. The primary endpoint of PATRICIA has been reported previously; the present analysis evaluates cross-protective vaccine efficacy against non-vaccine oncogenic HPV types in the end-of-study analysis. Analyses were done for three cohorts: the according-to-protocol cohort for efficacy (ATP-E; vaccine n=8067, control n=8047), total vaccinated HPV-naive cohort (TVC-naive; no evidence of infection with 14 oncogenic HPV types at baseline, approximating young adolescents before sexual debut; vaccine n=5824, control n=5820), and the total vaccinated cohort (TVC; all women who received at least one vaccine dose, approximating catch-up populations that include sexually active women; vaccine n=9319, control=9325). Vaccine efficacy was evaluated against 6-month persistent infection, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or greater (CIN2+) associated with 12 non-vaccine HPV types (individually or as composite endpoints), and CIN3+ associated with the composite of 12 non-vaccine HPV types. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00122681. FINDINGS: Consistent vaccine efficacy against persistent infection and CIN2+ (with or without HPV-16/18 co-infection) was seen across cohorts for HPV-33, HPV-31, HPV-45, and HPV-51. In the most conservative analysis of vaccine efficacy against CIN2+, where all cases co-infected with HPV-16/18 were removed, vaccine efficacy was noted for HPV-33 in all cohorts, and for HPV-31 in the ATP-E and TVC-naive. Vaccine efficacy against CIN2+ associated with the composite of 12 non-vaccine HPV types (31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68), with or without HPV-16/18 co-infection, was 46·8% (95% CI 30·7-59·4) in the ATP-E, 56·2% (37·2-69·9) in the TVC-naive, and 34·2% (20·4-45·8) in the TVC. Corresponding values for CIN3+ were 73·8% (48·3-87·9), 91·4% (65·0-99·0), and 47·5% (22·8-64·8). INTERPRETATION: Data from the end-of-study analysis of PATRICIA show cross-protective efficacy of the HPV-16/18 vaccine against four oncogenic non-vaccine HPV types-HPV-33, HPV-31, HPV-45, and HPV-51-in different trial cohorts representing diverse groups of women. FUNDING: GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.

The adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine is efficacious and safe in Asian adults ≥ 50 years of age: a sub-cohort analysis of the ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 randomized trials.

In two large clinical trials (ZOE-50 [NCT01165177] and ZOE-70 [NCT01165229]), two doses of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) demonstrated >90% efficacy (VE) against herpes zoster (HZ) in adults ≥50 years of age (YOA). This post-hoc analysis assessed the VE against HZ and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), in participants from Asian study sites enrolled in ZOE-50/70. Reactogenicity and safety were also assessed. Participants ≥50 YOA were randomized 1:1 to receive 2 doses of either RZV or placebo, 2 months apart. VE was evaluated for a median follow-up of 4 years post-vaccination overall and by age in the ZOE-50 Asian population ≥50 YOA and in the pooled ZOE-50/70 Asian population ≥70 YOA. Of the 2,729 participants included in the ZOE-50 Asian population ≥50 YOA, 3 RZV and 66 placebo recipients reported a confirmed HZ episode. Overall VE was 95.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 86.4-99.1) against HZ and 100% (95% CI: 35.44-100) against PHN. In the pooled ZOE-50/70 Asian population ≥70 YOA, 4 RZV and 75 placebo recipients out of the 2,723 participants reported a confirmed HZ episode. Overall VE was 94.7% (95% CI: 85.9-98.6) against HZ and 89.8% (95% CI: 28.39-99.77) against PHN. Pain and myalgia were the most frequent solicited local and general adverse events, respectively, in both populations. No safety concern was identified during the study periods. RZV is highly efficacious against HZ and PHN and has an acceptable safety profile in Asian populations ≥50 YOA, similar to what was observed in the general ZOE-50/70 populations.Trademark statement: Shingrix is a trademark owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies.

Correlation between levels of human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 and 18 antibodies in serum and cervicovaginal secretions in girls and women vaccinated with the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine.

This pooled analysis of data from four Phase III clinical trials was undertaken to assess the correlation between levels of anti-human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 antibodies in serum and cervicovaginal secretions (CVS) in girls and women vaccinated with the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine. Serum and CVS samples were collected from a subset of women aged 10-65 years (N=350) at pre-specified time-points from 7 to 36 months post-vaccination. Anti-HPV-16/18 antibody levels in serum and CVS were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pearson correlation coefficients between serum and CVS antibody levels, standardized for total immunoglobulin G, were calculated at each time-point in women with detectable antibodies in both serum and CVS. All subjects had seroconverted at Month 7 and remained seropositive through Month 36 for both antigens. Geometric mean titers of anti-HPV-16/18 antibodies in serum were substantially higher at all time-points than those in a control group of women who had cleared a natural HPV infection in another trial. In women with detectable antibodies in both serum and CVS, good correlation was seen between HPV-16/18 antibody levels at all time-points (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.84-0.92 for HPV-16 and 0.90-0.91 for HPV-18). The strong correlation between levels of HPV-16/18 antibodies in serum and CVS up to 36 months post-vaccination in girls and women vaccinated with the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine supports transudation of serum antibodies as the mechanism by which antibodies are introduced into CVS. These CVS antibodies may play a role in the protective efficacy of this vaccine.

Post hoc analysis of reactogenicity trends between dose 1 and dose 2 of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine in two parallel randomized trials.

In two large clinical trials (ZOE-50 [NCT01165177] and ZOE-70 [NCT01165229]), two doses of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) demonstrated >90% efficacy against herpes zoster in adults ≥50 years of age. Solicited adverse events (AEs) were collected for 7 days post-each dose in a study sub-cohort. The incidence of reported solicited AEs was higher for RZV compared to placebo recipients. Since reactogenicity may contribute to a person's willingness to be vaccinated, knowing about expected reactogenicity might help keep high compliance with the second dose. This post hoc analysis assessed the intensity of solicited AEs post-dose 2 reported to the same event's intensity post-dose 1. Intensity was graded from 0 to 3, grade 3 indicating the highest severity. Of the vaccinees who did not experience a specific AE post-dose 1, 72.6-91.7% did not experience the same event after dose 2. Although the frequency of grade 3 AEs post-dose 2 was the highest in participants reporting the same AEs at grade 3 post-dose 1, 65.8-89.3% of vaccinees with grade 3 specific AEs post-dose 1 reported the same AEs at lower intensity post-dose 2. These data can help inform health-care professionals about the frequency and intensity of AEs post-dose 2 with respect to post-dose 1.

Efficacy of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) by sex, geographic region, and geographic ancestry/ethnicity: A post-hoc analysis of the ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 randomized trials.

BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster (HZ) risk appears to vary by sex and geographic ancestry/ethnicity. METHODS: In 2 randomized clinical trials, participants received 2 doses of adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) or placebo intramuscularly, 2 months apart. In this post-hoc analysis, we investigate efficacy of RZV against HZ and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) by sex, geographic region, and geographic ancestry/ethnicity in ≥50-year-olds (ZOE-50: NCT01165177) and ≥70-year-olds (pooled data from ZOE-50 and ZOE-70: NCT01165229). RESULTS: Vaccine efficacy against HZ or PHN was similar in women and men. Across geographic regions, efficacy against HZ ranged between 95.7 and 97.2% in ≥50-year-olds, and between 87.3% and 95.1% in ≥70-year-olds; efficacy against PHN ranged between 86.8 and 100% in ≥70-year-olds. Across ancestral/ethnic groups, efficacy ranged between 88.1 and 100% against HZ and between 65.9 and 100% against PHN in ≥70-year-olds. CONCLUSIONS: While the ZOE-50/70 studies were not powered or pre-designed for these post-hoc analyses, RZV appears efficacious against HZ and PHN irrespective of sex, region, or geographic ancestry/ethnicity.

Medical conditions at enrollment do not impact efficacy and safety of the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine: a pooled post-hoc analysis of two parallel randomized trials.

In two pivotal efficacy studies (ZOE-50; ZOE-70), the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) demonstrated >90% efficacy against herpes zoster (HZ).Adults aged ≥50 or ≥70 years (ZOE-50 [NCT01165177]; ZOE-70 [NCT01165229]) were randomized to receive 2 doses of RZV or placebo 2 months apart. Vaccine efficacy and safety were evaluated post-hoc in the pooled (ZOE-50/70) population according to the number and type of selected medical conditions present at enrollment.At enrollment, 82.3% of RZV and 82.7% of placebo recipients reported ≥1 of the 15 selected medical conditions. Efficacy against HZ ranged from 84.5% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 46.4-97.1) in participants with respiratory disorders to 97.0% (95%CI: 82.3-99.9) in those with coronary heart disease. Moreover, efficacy remained >90% irrespective of the number of selected medical conditions reported by a participant.As indicated by the similarity of the point estimates, this post-hoc analysis suggests that RZV efficacy remains high in all selected medical conditions, as well as with increasing number of medical conditions. No safety concern was identified by the type or number of medical conditions present at enrollment.

Statistical methods for the analysis of clinical trials data containing many zeros: An application in vaccine development.

In recent years, many vaccines have been developed for the prevention of a variety of diseases. Many of these vaccines, like the one for herpes zoster, are supposed to act in a multilevel way. Ideally, they completely prevent expression of the virus, but failing that they help to reduce the severity of the disease. A simple approach to analyze these data is the so-called burden-of-illness test. The method assigns a score, say W, equal to 0 for the uninfected and a post-infection outcome X > 0 for the infected individuals. One of the limitations of this test is the potential low power when the vaccine efficacy is close to 0. To overcome this limitation, we propose a Fisher adjusted test where we combine a statistic for infection with a statistic for post-infection outcome adjusted for selection bias. The advantages and disadvantages of different methods proposed in the literature are discussed. We compared the methods via simulations in herpes zoster, HIV, and malaria vaccine trial settings. In addition, we applied these methods to published data on HIV vaccine. The paper ends with some recommendations and conclusions.

Efficacy of a bivalent L1 virus-like particle vaccine in prevention of infection with human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 in young women: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination against the most common oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types, HPV-16 and HPV-18, could prevent development of up to 70% of cervical cancers worldwide. We did a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial to assess the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of a bivalent HPV-16/18 L1 virus-like particle vaccine for the prevention of incident and persistent infection with these two virus types, associated cervical cytological abnormalities, and precancerous lesions. METHODS: We randomised 1113 women between 15-25 years of age to receive three doses of either the vaccine formulated with AS04 adjuvant or placebo on a 0 month, 1 month, and 6 month schedule in North America and Brazil. Women were assessed for HPV infection by cervical cytology and self-obtained cervicovaginal samples for up to 27 months, and for vaccine safety and immunogenicity. FINDINGS: In the according-to-protocol analyses, vaccine efficacy was 91.6% (95% CI 64.5-98.0) against incident infection and 100% against persistent infection (47.0-100) with HPV-16/18. In the intention-to-treat analyses, vaccine efficacy was 95.1% (63.5-99.3) against persistent cervical infection with HPV-16/18 and 92.9% (70.0-98.3) against cytological abnormalities associated with HPV-16/18 infection. The vaccine was generally safe, well tolerated, and highly immunogenic. INTERPRETATION: The bivalent HPV vaccine was efficacious in prevention of incident and persistent cervical infections with HPV-16 and HPV-18, and associated cytological abnormalities and lesions. Vaccination against such infections could substantially reduce incidence of cervical cancer.

Efficacy of human papillomavirus 16 and 18 (HPV-16/18) AS04-adjuvanted vaccine against cervical infection and precancer in young women: final event-driven analysis of the randomized, double-blind PATRICIA trial.

We report final event-driven analysis data on the immunogenicity and efficacy of the human papillomavirus 16 and 18 ((HPV-16/18) AS04-adjuvanted vaccine in young women aged 15 to 25 years from the PApilloma TRIal against Cancer In young Adults (PATRICIA). The total vaccinated cohort (TVC) included all randomized participants who received at least one vaccine dose (vaccine, n = 9,319; control, n = 9,325) at months 0, 1, and/or 6. The TVC-naive (vaccine, n = 5,822; control, n = 5,819) had no evidence of high-risk HPV infection at baseline, approximating adolescent girls targeted by most HPV vaccination programs. Mean follow-up was approximately 39 months after the first vaccine dose in each cohort. At baseline, 26% of women in the TVC had evidence of past and/or current HPV-16/18 infection. HPV-16 and HPV-18 antibody titers postvaccination tended to be higher among 15- to 17-year-olds than among 18- to 25-year-olds. In the TVC, vaccine efficacy (VE) against cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 or greater (CIN1+), CIN2+, and CIN3+ associated with HPV-16/18 was 55.5% (96.1% confidence interval [CI], 43.2, 65.3), 52.8% (37.5, 64.7), and 33.6% (-1.1, 56.9). VE against CIN1+, CIN2+, and CIN3+ irrespective of HPV DNA was 21.7% (10.7, 31.4), 30.4% (16.4, 42.1), and 33.4% (9.1, 51.5) and was consistently significant only in 15- to 17-year-old women (27.4% [10.8, 40.9], 41.8% [22.3, 56.7], and 55.8% [19.2, 76.9]). In the TVC-naive, VE against CIN1+, CIN2+, and CIN3+ associated with HPV-16/18 was 96.5% (89.0, 99.4), 98.4% (90.4, 100), and 100% (64.7, 100), and irrespective of HPV DNA it was 50.1% (35.9, 61.4), 70.2% (54.7, 80.9), and 87.0% (54.9, 97.7). VE against 12-month persistent infection with HPV-16/18 was 89.9% (84.0, 94.0), and that against HPV-31/33/45/51 was 49.0% (34.7, 60.3). In conclusion, vaccinating adolescents before sexual debut has a substantial impact on the overall incidence of high-grade cervical abnormalities, and catch-up vaccination up to 18 years of age is most likely effective. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT001226810.).

Sustained efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine: final analysis of a long-term follow-up study up to 9.4 years post-vaccination.

HPV-023 (NCT00518336; ClinicalTrial.gov) is a long-term follow-up of an initial double-blind, randomized (1:1), placebo-controlled study (HPV-001, NCT00689741) evaluating the efficacy against human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 infection and associated cyto-histopathological abnormalities, persistence of immunogenicity, and safety of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine. Among the women, aged 15-25 years, enrolled in HPV-001 and who participated in the follow-up study HPV-007 (NCT00120848), a subset of 437 women from five Brazilian centers participated in this 36-month long-term follow-up (HPV-023) for a total of 113 months (9.4 years). During HPV-023, anti-HPV-16/18 antibodies were measured annually by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and pseudovirion-based neutralisation assay (PBNA). Cervical samples were tested for HPV DNA every 6 months, and cyto-pathological examinations were performed annually. During HPV-023, no new HPV-16/18-associated infections and cyto-histopathological abnormalities occurred in the vaccine group. Vaccine efficacy (VE) against HPV-16/18 incident infection was 100% (95%CI: 66.1, 100). Over the 113 months (9.4 years), VE was 95.6% (86.2, 99.1; 3/50 cases in vaccine and placebo groups, respectively) against incident infection, 100% (84·1, 100; 0/21) against 6-month persistent infection (PI); 100% (61·4, 100; 0/10) against 12-month PI; 97·1% (82.5, 99.9; 1/30) against ≥ ASC-US; 95·0% (68.0, 99.9; 1/18) against ≥ LSIL; 100% (45.2, 100; 0/8) against CIN1+; and 100% (-128.1, 100; 0/3) against CIN2+ associated with HPV-16/18. All vaccinees remained seropositive to HPV-16/18, with antibody titers remaining several folds above natural infection levels, as measured by ELISA and PBNA. There were no safety concerns. To date, these data represent the longest follow-up reported for a licensed HPV vaccine.

Safety and immunogenicity of an AS01-adjuvanted varicella zoster virus subunit candidate vaccine (HZ/su): a phase-I, open-label study in Japanese adults.

An adjuvanted recombinant subunit candidate vaccine (HZ/su) containing varicella zoster virus envelope glycoprotein E was developed for the prevention of herpes zoster and its complications. This study evaluated safety and reactogenicity of HZ/su in an ethnic Japanese population. This was a phase I, open-label and single-center study conducted between March and November of 2010 in Australia. Twenty healthy ethnic Japanese subjects, aged 18-30 y and 50-69 y (1:1) were enrolled. Subjects were administered two doses of HZ/su vaccine according to a 0, 2-mo schedule. Local and general solicited symptoms were recorded for 7 d post-vaccination. Unsolicited symptoms were recorded for 30 d post-vaccination. Serious adverse events (SAEs), new onset of autoimmune disease (NOAD), other potential immune mediated disorders and HZ cases were recorded throughout the study period. All 20 subjects were included in the according-to-protocol cohort for safety. A total of 18 subjects were included in the according-to-protocol cohort for immunogenicity: 10 in the 18-30 y age group and 8 in the 50-69 y age group. The most commonly reported local and general solicited symptoms were pain and fatigue in both groups. Back pain (in the 18-30 y age group) and chills (in the 50-69 y age group) were the most frequently reported unsolicited symptoms. There were no reports of death, SAEs, NOADs, other autoimmune mediated inflammatory disorder or suspected HZ cases. This study indicated that the two-dose regimen of HZ/su exhibited a clinically acceptable safety profile in healthy young and older ethnic Japanese adults.

Sustained immunogenicity and efficacy of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine: up to 8.4 years of follow-up.

Prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are now available and vaccination programs are being widely implemented, targeting adolescent girls prior to sexual debut. Since the risk of HPV exposure persists throughout a woman's sexual life, the duration of protection provided by vaccination is critical to the overall vaccine effectiveness. We report the long-term efficacy and immunogenicity of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine (Cervarix (®) ) up to 8.4 y after the first vaccine dose.   In an initial placebo-controlled study performed in US, Canada and Brazil, women aged 15-25 y with normal cervical cytology, HPV-16/18 seronegative by ELISA, DNA-negative for 14 oncogenic HPV types by PCR, received either the HPV-16/18 vaccine or placebo (n = 1,113). Subjects were followed up to 6.4 y after the first dose (n = 776). We report an additional 2-y follow-up for women enrolled from the Brazilian centers from the initial study (n = 436). During the current follow-up study (HPV-023, NCT00518336), no new infection or lesions associated with HPV-16/18 occurred in the vaccine group. Vaccine efficacy over the entire follow-up (up to 8.4 y) was 95.1% (84.6, 99.0) for incident infection, 100% (79.8, 100) for 6-mo persistent infection, 100% (56.1, 100) for 12-mo persistent infection and 100% (< 0, 100) for CIN2+ associated with HPV-16/18. All women in the vaccine group remained seropositive to both HPV-16/18, with antibody titers for total and neutralizing antibodies remaining several-folds above natural infection levels. The safety profile was clinically acceptable for both vaccine and control groups. This is, to date, the longest follow-up study for a licensed cervical cancer vaccine.