Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies for HIV: A Step Forward but a Long Way to Go

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against HIV are being evaluated for prevention and treatment of infection. A bNAb called VRC01 was previously shown to decrease HIV RNA levels in viremic patients (Sci Transl Med 2015; 7:319ra206). To evaluate whether VRC01 can delay HIV rebound when antiretroviral therapy (ART) is withdrawn, two single-arm trials were conducted, one by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) and the other at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Both trials enrolled HIV-infected participants who were virologically suppressed on ART. In the ACTG study, 14 participants had up to three infusions of VRC01 every 3 weeks; ART was stopped 1 week after the first infusion. In the NIH trial, 10 participants received VRC01 infu…