Safety, Tolerability and Protective Efficacy of PfSPZ Vaccine in Gabonese Children

Sanaria

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2

Conditions: Malaria

Treatments: Biological: PfSPZ Vaccine; Other: Normal Saline

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Industry; Other

Identifiers

NCT03521973

LaSPZV1

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is a single site, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The trial will assess the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and vaccine efficacy (VE) of PfSPZ Vaccine in Gabonese children that are naturally exposed to malaria parasites. Healthy children aged 1- 12 years living in the surrounding areas of Lambaréné and/or Fougamou Province in Gabon will be eligible for participation.

Full description

The trial will be performed in 200 healthy Gabonese children, recruited across three age-strata: 7-12, 3-6 and 1-2 years (12-35 months). Within each age-stratum, volunteers will be randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive three doses via direct venous inoculation (DVI) of either PfSPZ Vaccine (0.9x10^6) or normal saline (NS) on days 0, 7 and 28 respectively; a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 100 volunteers are included in each of these age-strata.

In total, approximately 133 children will receive PfSPZ Vaccine and approximately 67 children will receive placebo. Randomization will be stratified by age-stratum, using permuted blocks of randomized size (3, 6, or 9). The start of inclusion into each age-stratum will be staggered, such that immunization of the first 3-6-year-olds will not commence until two weeks after start of immunization in the first 7-12-year-olds, and immunizations in the first 1-2-year-olds will not commence until two weeks after start of immunization in the first 3-6-year-olds. All volunteers will receive presumptive treatment with artemether-lumefantrine two weeks prior to final immunization (day 14). All volunteers will receive presumptive treatment with age-standardized 3-day course of oral artemether-lumefantrine (AL) ~two weeks prior to first immunization and again two weeks prior to final immunization.

Enrollment: 200 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 1 to 12 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy children aged 1 to 12 years
• Provision of written informed consent of a legal representative of age 18 or above and provision of informed assent by participants in concordance with Gabonese national guidelines.
• Able and willing to comply with all study requirements
• Residence in the area throughout the study period
• Household member reachable by mobile phone during the immunization phase

Exclusion criteria

• Receipt of an investigational product in the 30 days preceding enrollment
• Prior receipt of a malaria vaccine
• Immunization with more than 3 other vaccines or at least on elive vaccine within the past four weeks
• Use of immunoglobulins or blood products within 3 months prior to immunization with the investigational product
• Known or suspected HIV infection or any other immunosuppressive state
• Positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs-antigen)
• Seropositive for hepatitis C virus (antibodies to HCV)
• A hemoglobin concentration <9 g/dl (applies at enrollment only)
• History of non-febrile or atypical febrile seizures
• Pregnancy or lactation
• Any other significant disease, disorder or finding which, in the opinion of the investigator, may significantly increase the risk to the child because of participation in the study or impair interpretation of the study data

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Quadruple Blind

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200 participants in 6 patient groups, including a placebo group

Group 1- PfSPZ-Vaccine

Experimental group

Description:

Children aged 7-12 years (inclusive) of age will be enrolled in this group. N=44 will receive PfSPZ Vaccine; three doses of 9x10^6 PfSPZ of PfSPZ Vaccine administered by direct venous inoculation (DVI) given at 0, 7 and 28 day intervals.

Treatment:

Biological: PfSPZ Vaccine

Group 2

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Children aged 7-12 years (inclusive) of age will be enrolled in this group. N=22 will receive normal saline; three doses of NS administered by DVI given at 0, 7 and 28 day intervals.

Treatment:

Other: Normal Saline

Group 3

Experimental group

Description:

Children aged 3-6 years (inclusive) of age will be enrolled in this group. N=44 will receive PfSPZ Vaccine; three doses of 9x10^6 PfSPZ of PfSPZ Vaccine administered by direct venous inoculation (DVI) given at 0, 7 and 28 day intervals; given 2 weeks after the first immunization of Group 1.

Treatment:

Biological: PfSPZ Vaccine

Group 4

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Children aged 3-6 years (inclusive) of age will be enrolled in this group. N=22 will receive normal saline; three doses of NS administered by DVI given at 0, 7 and 28 day intervals; given 2 weeks after the first dose of NS of Group 2.

Treatment:

Other: Normal Saline

Group 5

Experimental group

Description:

Children aged 1-2 years (inclusive) of age will be enrolled in this group. N=44 will receive PfSPZ Vaccine; three doses of 9x10^6 PfSPZ of PfSPZ Vaccine administered by direct venous inoculation (DVI) given at 0, 7 and 28 day intervals; given 2 weeks after the first immunization of Group 3.

Treatment:

Biological: PfSPZ Vaccine

Group 6

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Children aged 1-2 years (inclusive) of age will be enrolled in this group. N=22 will receive normal saline; three doses of NS administered by DVI given at 0, 7 and 28 day intervals; given 2 weeks after the first dose of NS of Group 4.

Treatment:

Other: Normal Saline