{"id":3843,"date":"2021-09-10T09:45:23","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T07:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wits-vida.org\/?p=3843"},"modified":"2022-03-25T09:53:07","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T07:53:07","slug":"oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-shows-promise-in-protecting-people-with-hiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wits-vida.org\/press-release\/oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-shows-promise-in-protecting-people-with-hiv\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine shows promise in protecting people with HIV"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytical (VIDA) research unit conducted the phase 1B\/2A clinical trial.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

The findings,\u00a0published<\/a>\u00a0in Lancet HIV on 17 August 2021, show that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is likely to work as well in people living with HIV compared with people who are HIV negative.<\/p>\n

These interim findings are vital for informing the clinical management of people with HIV during the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Clinical trials that evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of Covid-19 vaccines in people living with HIV are limited generally and virtually non-existent in Africa. This is despite the overwhelming prevalence of HIV infection in Africa and in South Africa particularly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe searched PubMed for peer-reviewed articles published between 1 January 2019 and 29 June 2021, using the terms \u2018safety\u2019 and \u2018Covid-19\u2019 and \u2018vaccine\u2019, but we did not find any reports that evaluated safety and immunogenicity of Covid-19 vaccines in this population,\u201d says Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology and Director of Wits VIDA, which led South Africa and Africa\u2019s\u00a0first Covid-19 vaccine trial<\/a>\u00a0in June 2020.<\/p>\n

Understanding Covid-19 vaccination in people with HIV in SA<\/strong><\/p>\n

People with HIV are at greater risk for infectious diseases and are at higher risk of dying when admitted to hospital for severe Covid-19 than are the general population.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, compared with HIV-negative individuals, people with HIV are at greater risk for infectious diseases, such as influenza, including during antiretroviral therapy (ART).<\/p>\n

Risk factors for severe Covid-19 in people with HIV include more advanced stage of HIV\/AIDS, the HIV-1 infection not being virally suppressed, and CD4 counts below 500 cells per microlitre.<\/p>\n

About the HIV study in the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine trial in South AfricaThe study was an interim analysis of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1B\/2A trial.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Between 17 August and 12 November 2020, 104 people living with HIV were enrolled in the trial. Seventy HIV negative people were enrolled between 24 June and 29 July 2020.<\/p>\n

Eligibility criteria for people with HIV included being on ART for at least three months, with a plasma HIV viral load of less than 1000 copies per microlitre.<\/p>\n

The HIV study, which was a unique addition to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial, aimed to assess safety and immunogenicity of this vaccine in people with HIV and HIV-negative people in South Africa.<\/p>\n

The primary endpoint in both HIV-negative participants and people with HIV was the safety, tolerability, and reactogenicity profile of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n

Reactogenicity refers to the property of a vaccine of being able to produce common adverse reactions.<\/p>\n

The interim findings show that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was well tolerated and showed favourable safety and immunogenicity in people with HIV, including heightened immunogenicity in SARS-CoV-2 baseline-seropositive participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese interim findings are vital for informing the clinical management of people with HIV during the Covid-19 pandemic,\u201d says Madhi. \u201cAs the delta variant continues to dominate in South Africa \u2013 and the C.1.2 variant emerges as a variant of concern \u2013 vaccination remains the only option to avoid hospitalisation and death from Covid-19.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>