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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03965962

Study of Purified Vero Rabies Vaccine Compared With Two Reference Rabies Vaccines in a Simulated Post-Exposure Regimen in Adults

Primary Objective:

To demonstrate that Purified Vero Rabies Vaccine - Serum Free Vaccine generation 2 (VRVg-2) was non-inferior to Verorab and Imovax Rabies vaccines when co-administered with human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG), in terms of proportion of participants achieving a rabies virus neutralizing antibody (RVNA) titer greater than or equal to (>=) 0.5 international units per milliliter (IU/mL) at Day 28, i.e., 14 days after the fourth vaccine injection.

Secondary Objective:

* To describe the safety profile of VRVg-2 versus Verorab and Imovax Rabies vaccines when co-administered with HRIG, as well as that of VRVg-2, after each vaccine injection. * To demonstrate that the proportion of participants in the VRVg-2 + HRIG group achieving an RVNA titer >= 0.5 IU/mL at Day 28 was at least 95 percent (%). * To describe the immune response induced by VRVg-2 versus Verorab and Imovax Rabies vaccines when co-administered with HRIG, as well as that induced by VRVg-2, at Day 14 (7 days after the third injection), at Day 28 (14 days after the fourth injection) and at Day 42 (14 days after the last injection).

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 3

Primary location

Investigational Site Number 2500002, Gières, France

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About this study

Study duration per participant was approximately 7 months including: 1 day of screening and vaccination, a total of 5 vaccine injections over a 28-day period, 1 safety-follow up visit at Day 42, 1 safety follow-up/end of study visit at Day 56 and a 6-month safety follow-up call after last vaccine administration.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Men or women aged >=18 years on the day of inclusion (>= 18 years means from the day of the 18th birthday onwards, with no upper age limit).
  • Able to attend all scheduled visits and to comply with all trial procedures.
  • Body Mass Index (BMI): 18.5 kilograms per square meter (kg/m^2) less than or equal to (<=) BMI <=30 kg/m^2.

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnant, or lactating, or of childbearing potential and not using an effective method of contraception or abstinence from at least 4 weeks prior to the first vaccination until at least 4 weeks after the last vaccination. To be considered of non-childbearing potential, a female must be post-menopausal for at least 1 year, or surgically sterile.
  • Participation at the time of study enrollment or, planned participation during the present trial period in another clinical trial investigating a vaccine, drug, medical device, or medical procedure.
  • Receipt of any vaccine in the 4 weeks (28 days) preceding the first trial vaccination or planned receipt of any vaccine prior to Visit 7.
  • Previous vaccination against rabies (in pre- or post-exposure regimen) with either the trial vaccines or another vaccine.
  • Receipt of immune globulins, blood or blood-derived products in the past 3 months.
  • Known or suspected congenital or acquired immunodeficiency; or receipt of immunosuppressive therapy, such as anti-cancer chemotherapy or radiation therapy, within the preceding 6 months; or long-term systemic corticosteroid therapy (prednisone or equivalent for more than 2 consecutive weeks within the past 3 months).
  • At high risk for rabies exposure during the trial (veterinarians and their staff, animal handlers, rabies researchers, and certain laboratory workers, persons whose activities bring them into frequent contact with rabies virus or potentially rabid bats, raccoons, skunks, cats, dogs, or other species at risk for having rabies, people travelling where rabies was enzootic).
  • Known systemic hypersensitivity to any of the vaccine or HRIG components, or history of a life-threatening reaction to the vaccines used in the trial or to a vaccine containing any of the same substances.
  • Self-reported thrombocytopenia, contraindicating IM vaccination.
  • Bleeding disorder, or receipt of anticoagulants in the 3 weeks preceding inclusion, contraindicating IM vaccination.
  • Current alcohol or substance abuse that, in the opinion of the investigator, might interfere with the trial conduct of completion.
  • Chronic illness that, in the opinion of the investigator, was at a stage where it might interfere with trial conduct or completion.
  • Moderate or severe acute illness/infection (according to investigator judgment) on the day of vaccination or febrile illness (temperature >=38.0 degree Celsius). A prospective participant should not be included in the study until the condition had resolved or the febrile event had subsided.
  • Personal history of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  • Identified as an Investigator or employee of the Investigator or study center with direct involvement in the proposed study, or identified as an immediate family member (ie, parent, spouse, natural or adopted child) of the Investigator or employee with direct involvement in the proposed study.

The above information was not intended to contain all considerations relevant to a participant's potential participation in a clinical trial.

Treatment and study plan

VRVg-2

Biological

Pharmaceutical form: Powder and solvent for suspension for injection;

Route of administration: IM

Purified inactivated rabies vaccine

Biological

Pharmaceutical form: Powder and solvent for suspension for injection;

Route of administration: IM

Other names: Verorab®

Human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV)

Biological

Pharmaceutical form: Powder and solvent for suspension for injection;

Route of administration: IM

Other names: IMOVAX® Rabies

Rabies immune globulin (human)

Biological

Pharmaceutical form: Solution for injection;

Route of administration: IM

Other names: IMOGAM® Rabies-HT

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage of Participants With Rabies Virus Neutralizing Antibody (RVNA) Titers Greater Than or Equal to (>=) 0.5 International Units Per Milliliter (IU/mL)-Non-Inferiority Analysis

    Time frame: Day 28

    RVNA titer against rabies virus was assessed using the Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition test (RFFIT) assay method.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Percentage of Participants With Rabies Virus Neutralizing Antibody Titers >=0.5 IU/mL

    Time frame: Day 0 (pre-vaccination), Day 14, Day 28 and Day 42

    RVNA titer against rabies virus was assessed using the RFFIT assay method. Immune response of VRVg-2 was considered sufficient if the lower limit of the 95% CI for percentage of participants in Group 1 with RVNA titers >=0.5 IU/mL was not less than 95% at Day 28, when the primary non-inferiority objective was achieved at Day 28.

  2. Percentage of Participants With Rabies Virus Neutralizing Antibody Titers >=0.2 IU/mL (Lower Limit of Quantification [LLOQ])

    Time frame: Day 0 (pre-vaccination), Day 14, Day 28 and Day 42

    RVNA titer against rabies virus was assessed using the RFFIT assay method. Lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) for the RFFIT assay was 0.2 IU/mL.

  3. Rabies Virus Neutralizing Antibody (RVNA) Geometric Mean Titers (GMTs) Against Rabies Virus

    Time frame: Day 0 (pre-vaccination), Day 14, Day 28 and Day 42

    RVNA GMT against rabies virus was assessed using the RFFIT assay method.

  4. Geometric Mean Titer Ratio (GMTR) of Rabies Virus Neutralizing Antibody Titers

    Time frame: Day 0 (pre-vaccination), Day 14, Day 28 and Day 42

    RVNA titer against rabies virus was assessed using the RFFIT assay method. GMTRs were calculated as the ratio of GMTs post vaccination (i.e., on Day 14, 28 and Day 42) and pre-vaccination on Day 0.

  5. Percentage of Participants With Determined Complete and Determined Incomplete Virus Neutralization

    Time frame: Day 0 (pre-vaccination), Day 14, Day 28 and Day 42

    Virus neutralization was defined as complete (absence of fluorescent cells) and incomplete (presence of fluorescent cells) at the participant/timepoint level at the starting dilution (1/5) of RFFIT assay. Percentage of participants with determined complete and determined incomplete virus neutralization were reported.

  6. Number of Participants With Immediate Unsolicited Adverse Events (AEs)

    Time frame: Within 30 minutes after any and each vaccination (Vaccination 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

    An AE was defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant who received study vaccine and does not necessary had to have a causal relationship with treatment. An unsolicited AE was an observed AE that did not fulfill the conditions prelisted in the case report book (CRB) in terms of diagnosis and/or onset post-vaccination. All participants were observed for 30 minutes after any vaccination, and any unsolicited AEs occurred during that time were recorded as immediate unsolicited AEs in the CRB. Immediate AEs considered as related to vaccination were recorded as immediate unsolicited adverse reactions (ARs).

  7. Number of Participants With Solicited Injection Site Reactions

    Time frame: Within 7 days after any and each vaccination (Vaccination 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

    A solicited reaction (SR) was an expected AR observed and reported under conditions (nature and onset) prelisted (i.e., solicited) in the protocol and CRB and considered as related to vaccination. An AR was all noxious and unintended responses to a medicinal product related to any dose. Solicited injection site reactions included pain, erythema and swelling at and around the injection site.

  8. Number of Participants With Solicited Systemic Reactions

    Time frame: Up to 7 days after any and each vaccination (Vaccination 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

    SR was an expected AR observed and reported under conditions (nature and onset) prelisted (i.e., solicited) in the protocol and CRB and considered as related to vaccination. An AR was all noxious and unintended responses to a medicinal product related to any dose. Solicited systemic reactions included fever, headache, malaise and myalgia.

  9. Number of Participants With Unsolicited Adverse Events

    Time frame: Up to 28 days after any and each vaccination (Vaccination 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

    An AE was defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant who received study vaccine and does not necessary had to have a causal relationship with treatment. An unsolicited AE was an observed AE that did not fulfill the conditions prelisted in the CRB in terms of diagnosis and/or onset post-vaccination.

  10. Number of Participants With Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) and Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESIs)

    Time frame: From Baseline (Day 0) up to 6 months after last vaccination (i.e., up to Month 7)

    An AE was defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant who received study vaccine and does not necessary had to have a causal relationship with treatment. An SAE was any untoward medical occurrence that at any dose resulted in death, life-threatening, initial or prolonged inpatient hospitalization, persistent or significant disability/incapacity, congenital anomaly/birth defect or a medically important event. An AESI was defined as one of scientific and medical concern specific to the Sponsor's product or program, for which ongoing monitoring and rapid communication by the Investigator to the Sponsor was appropriate. All SAEs and AESIs occurring during the study that were related to the product administered were reported by the Investigator to the Independent Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board. Relatedness to study vaccine was based on Investigator's discretion.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sanofi Pasteur, a Sanofi Company

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

Immunogenicity and Safety of a Purified Vero Rabies Vaccine - Serum Free in Comparison With Verorab® and Imovax® Rabies, in a Simulated Rabies Post-exposure Regimen in Healthy Adults in France

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2021
First posted
May 29, 2019
Registry last updated
Sep 18, 2025

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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