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NCT Number: NCT07224477

A Clinical Study of V540A in Healthy Female Participants (V540A-005)

Researchers are looking for new ways to prevent cancers related to human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a common virus that can cause an infection. There are many different types of HPV.

A standard vaccine to prevent HPV-related cancers is V503. V503 protects against 9 types of HPV. V540A is a study vaccine designed to protect against the same (shared) 9 HPV types plus other (unique) HPV types.

Researchers want to learn if V540A:

* Is safe and if people tolerate it * Works as well as V503 to cause an immune response (the body's response to protect against infections and illnesses) to the shared HPV types.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy

Age range

16 year–26 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

The main inclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following:

  • Is in good health
  • Has a lifetime history of 0 to 4 sexual partners of any sex/gender
  • A participant assigned female sex at birth is eligible to participate if not breastfeeding during the study intervention period and for at least 30 days after the last dose of study intervention

Exclusion criteria

The main exclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following:

  • Has a history of severe allergic reaction (e.g., swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing, hypotension, or shock) that required medical intervention
  • Has known or history of functional or anatomic asplenia
  • Is currently immunocompromised or has been diagnosed as having congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, human immunodeficiency virus infection, lymphoma, leukemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or other autoimmune condition
  • Has thrombocytopenia or other coagulation disorder
  • Has had a positive test for human papillomavirus (HPV)
  • Has a history of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis or HPV-related head and neck cancer, or HPV-related anal lesions or anal cancer
  • Has a history of an abnormal cervical biopsy result
  • Has a history of HPV-related external genital lesions or external genital cancer, HPV-related vaginal lesions or vaginal cancer
  • Has received a dose of any HPV vaccine before study entry
  • Has received within 12 months before the Day 1 vaccination, is receiving, or plans to receive during the study, immunosuppressive therapies or other therapy known to interfere with the immune response
  • Is currently receiving systemic steroid therapy or has received 2 or more courses of high-dose corticosteroids lasting at least 1 week in duration in the year prior to Day 1 vaccination
  • Has received within the 3 months before the Day 1 vaccination, is receiving, or plans to receive during the study any immune globulin product

Treatment and study plan

V540A-2

Biological

Suspension administered via intramuscular (IM) injection.

V540A-3

Biological

Suspension administered via intramuscular (IM) injection.

GARDASIL®9

Biological

Suspension administered via IM injection.

Other names: G9, SILGARD®9, V503

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants Who Experience ≥1 Solicited Injection-site Adverse Event (AE)

    Time frame: Up to approximately 7 months

    An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. Solicited injection-site AEs include redness (erythema), swelling (swelling), and pain or tenderness (pain). The number of participants who experienced at least 1 solicited injection-site AE from Day 1 through Day 5 post each vaccination will be reported.

  2. Number of Participants Who Experience ≥1 Solicited Pyrexia AE

    Time frame: Up to approximately 7 months

    Pyrexia is defined as a temperature(s) ≥100.4°F (≥38.0°C). The number of participants with solicited pyrexia from Day 1 through Day 5 post each vaccination will be reported.

  3. Number of Participants Who Experience ≥1 Vaccine-related Serious AE (SAE)

    Time frame: Up to approximately 7 months

    A vaccine-related SAE is any untoward medical consequence that results in death, is life-threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization or prolongs existing hospitalization, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, or is another important medical event which is determined by the investigator to be related to the vaccine. The number of participants who experienced at least 1 vaccine-related SAE will be reported.

  4. Geometric Mean Titers (GMTs) to Each of the Shared Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Types at Day 29 Postdose 3

    Time frame: Up to approximately 7 months

    Antibodies to HPV types shared between V540A and GARDASIL®9 will be measured. Geometric mean titers of antibodies to HPV types at Day 29 postdose 3 will be reported.

Secondary outcomes

  1. GMTs of Each of the Shared and Unique HPV Vaccine Types at Day 29 Postdose 1

    Time frame: Up to 29 days

    Antibodies to HPV types shared between V540A and GARDASIL®9 and unique to V540A will be measured. Geometric mean titers of antibodies to HPV types at Day 29 postdose 1 will be reported.

  2. GMTs of Each of the Shared and Unique HPV Vaccine Types at Day 29 Postdose 2

    Time frame: Up to approximately 3 months

    Antibodies to HPV types shared between V540A and GARDASIL®9 and unique to V540A will be measured. Geometric mean titers of antibodies to HPV types at Day 29 postdose 2 will be reported.

  3. GMTs to Each of the Shared and Unique HPV Vaccine Types at Day 29 Postdose 3

    Time frame: Up to approximately 7 months

    Antibodies to HPV types shared between V540A and GARDASIL®9 and unique to V540A will be measured. Geometric mean titers of antibodies to HPV types at Day 29 postdose 3 will be reported.

  4. Percentage of Participants with Seroconversion to Each of the Shared and Unique HPV Vaccine Types at Day 29 Postdose 1

    Time frame: Up to approximately 2 months

    Seroconversion is defined as changing a participant's serostatus from seronegative at Day 1 to seropositive by Day 29 postdose 1. The percentage of participants with seroconversion to each of the shared and unique HPV vaccine types at Day 29 postdose 1 will be reported.

  5. Percentage of Participants with Seroconversion to Each of the Shared and Unique HPV Vaccine Types at Day 29 Postdose 2

    Time frame: Up to approximately 3 months

    Seroconversion is defined as changing a participant's serostatus from seronegative at Day 1 to seropositive by Day 29 postdose 2. The percentage of participants with seroconversion to each of the shared and unique HPV vaccine types at Day 29 postdose 2 will be reported.

  6. Percentage of Participants with Seroconversion to Each of the Shared and Unique HPV Vaccine Types at Day 29 Postdose 3

    Time frame: Up to approximately 7 months

    Seroconversion is defined as changing a participant's serostatus from seronegative at Day 1 to seropositive by Day 29 postdose 3. The percentage of participants with seroconversion to each of the shared and unique HPV vaccine types at Day 29 postdose 3 will be reported.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

A Phase 2, Randomized, Double-Blind, Comparator-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of V540A in Healthy Females 16 to 26 Years of Age

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Nov 4, 2025
Registry last updated
Feb 19, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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