Hope Mafaranga

  PrEPVacc  announced today that it "has stopped further vaccinations as there is little or no chance of the trial demonstrating vaccine efficacy in preventing HIV acquisition". Its  pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) trial is set to continue. While IAS – the  International AIDS Society  – is disappointed at this outcome, we believe that this provides us with lessons to drive HIV vaccine research and development (R&D) with urgency. “We cannot and will not lose hope that the world will have an effective HIV vaccine that is accessible by all who need it, anywhere,” IAS Executive Director Birgit Poniatowski said. “A vaccine remains one of our most powerful tools to reach and change the lives of vulnerable communities and key populations in the most affected parts of the world.”  PrEPVacc, an African-led, European-supported HIV prevention study, has been running in four sites in Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa since 2018. With 1,513 participants (men and women aged 18-40 years