The phase 1 trial of Moderna’s new mRNA HIV vaccine has been halted after a high rate of “puzzling skin side effects” were reported.
The new vaccine requires a series of mRNA shots to be delivered, but an “unusually high percentage of recipients developed rashes, welts or other skin irritation,” according to Science magazine.
“We are taking this very seriously,” Carl Dieffenbach told Science. Dieffenbach heads the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which funded the phase 1 trial.
It’s unclear at this stage whether the problem is caused by the “cumulative effect from multiple mRNA shots,” the genetic background of the recipients or the HIV sequence.
Different versions of this vaccine have already been tested, but in every instance skin problems occurred at a worryingly high level. In one study, 11 out of 60 recipients ended up developing some form of skin problem.
Hellbound and Down 