HPV Vaccine Therapy in Reducing High-Grade Cervical Lesions in Patients With HIV and HPV (COVENANT)

January 9, 2026 updated by: AIDS Malignancy Consortium

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of HPV Vaccination to Reduce Cervical High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions Among HIV-Infected Women Participating in an HPV Test-and-Treat Program (COVENANT)

This randomized phase III trial studies how well human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine therapy works in reducing high-grade cervical lesions in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HPV. Vaccines made from HPV peptides or antigens may help the body build an effective immune response to kill the HPV virus and prevent cervical lesions from developing or coming back after being removed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

At screening, potential participants will be tested for cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (GeneXpert hrHPV assay and HPV DNA PCR) and undergo cervical colposcopy to confirm the absence of cervical cancer. If eligible, the participant will be randomized to receive either the 9-valent HPV vaccine or saline placebo.

Participants will return 4 and 26 weeks later for the second dose of vaccine or placebo. At week 4, participants will have cervical colposcopy and undergo cryotherapy or loop electrosurgical excisional procedure (LEEP) as appropriate. Participants undergoing cervical cryotherapy will have cervical biopsies before the treatment. Participants will be followed with HPV testing (Gene Xpert and HPV DNA PCR) at weeks 26, 52, 78, and 104, and will have cervical cytology and colposcopy with biopsies at weeks 26, 52, and 104.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
536

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Kenya
      • Eldoret, Kenya
        • Moi University School of Medicine
  • Malawi
      • Lilongwe, Malawi
        • UNC Project Malawi
  • South Africa
      • Cape Town, South Africa
        • African Cancer Institute at Stellenbosch
      • Johannesburg, South Africa
        • University of the Witwatersrand
  • Uganda
      • Kampala, Uganda
        • Uganda Cancer Institute
  • Zimbabwe
      • Harare, Zimbabwe
        • University of Zimbabwe

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

25 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • HIV-1 infection, documented by any licensed rapid HIV test or HIV enzyme or chemiluminescence immunoassay (E/CIA) test kit at any time prior to study entry and confirmed by a licensed western blot or a second antibody test by a method other than the initial rapid HIV and/or E/CIA, or by HIV-1 antigen, plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load, or documentation of receipt of antiretroviral therapy; Note: the term "licensed" refers to a kit that has been certified or licensed by an oversight body within the participating country and validated internally; WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines mandate that confirmation of the initial test result must use a test that is different from the one used for the initial assessment; a reactive initial rapid test should be confirmed by either another type of rapid assay or an E/CIA that is based on a different antigen preparation and/or different test principle (e.g., indirect versus competitive), or a western blot or a plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load
  • HPV positive by the GeneXpert hrHPV assay with HPV16, HPV 18/45, or HPV31/33/35/52/58 detected; Note: participants who are hrHPV positive with only HPV51/59 or HPV 39/68/56/66 detected are not eligible
  • Receipt of ART for at least 180 days prior to randomization
  • Participants of childbearing potential, defined as a sexually mature woman who: (1) has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy or (2) has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 24 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months), must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 3 weeks prior to enrollment and agree to use an effective form of contraception (e.g., barrier contraception or hormonal contraception), delaying pregnancy for at least 12 months and ideally for the duration of the study; Note: those willing to participate delay pregnancy for at least 6 months, while receiving the recombinant human papillomavirus nonavalent (9vHPV) vaccine (or placebo)
  • If the participant is of childbearing potential, she should be at least 3 months postpartum
  • Karnofsky score >= 70%
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current sexually transmitted infection (STI) requiring treatment (women may participate after adequate treatment, at the discretion of the treating provider)
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to Gardasil or Gardasil 9
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness that would limit compliance with study requirements
  • Prior hysterectomy with removal of the cervix
  • Prior treatment for cervical HSIL
  • Prior history of cervical, vulvar, or vaginal cancer
  • Cervical, vulvar, or vaginal lesions suspicious for cancer based on clinical appearance (e.g. necrotic, ulcerated, and/or fungating masses), unless biopsies show no invasive cancer
  • Known bleeding diathesis
  • Prior HPV vaccination
  • Current or planned use of anticoagulants other than aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Arm I, recombinant HPV 9-valent vaccine
Patients receive Recombinant Human Papillomavirus Nonavalent Vaccine (Gardasil 9) IM at baseline, 4, and 26 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity, with sample collection for Laboratory Biomarker Analysis.
Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis
Correlative studies
Biological: Recombinant Human Papillomavirus Nonavalent Vaccine
Given IM
Other Names:
  • Gardasil 9
  • Nonavalent HPV VLP Vaccine
  • Recombinant HPV Nonavalent Vaccine
  • Recombinant Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine
  • Recombinant HPV 9-valent Vaccine
Placebo Comparator: Arm II, saline
Patients receive saline placebo vaccine IM at baseline, 4, and 26 weeks, with sample collection for Laboratory Biomarker Analysis.
Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis
Correlative studies
Other: Saline
Given IM
Other Names:
  • Sodium Chloride 0.9%

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Occurrence of cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) or cervical cancer
Time Frame: After week 4 study visit to week 52 post-randomization
For each arm (vaccine and placebo), the event rate will be estimated using its point estimate and 95% Poisson confidence intervals. Poisson regression analyses will be used to compare the two arms with respect to event rate. In addition, time to event from week 4 to 52 will be described using the Kaplan-Meier method for each arm, and the two arms will be compared with respect to time to event using the log-rank test.
After week 4 study visit to week 52 post-randomization

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Occurrence of cervical HSIL from weeks 52-104
Time Frame: After week 52 to week 104
The event rate for each arm from week 52 to week 104 for women who are event-free at 52 weeks will be estimated using its point estimate and 95% Poisson confidence interval. Poisson regression will be used to compare the two groups with respect to the event rate from week 52 to 104.
After week 52 to week 104
Role of baseline types and quantity of HPV as predictors of sustained absence
Time Frame: At baseline and week 4
Poisson regression analyses will be used to determine if baseline HPV types are associated with of sustained absence of cervical HSIL and clearance of HPV infections after cryotherapy or LEEP. This analysis will also control for use of LEEP or cryotherapy.
At baseline and week 4
Role of presence of HSIL at baseline as a predictor of sustained absence
Time Frame: At baseline and week 4
Poisson regression analyses will be used to determine if the presence of HSIL at baseline is associated with of sustained absence of cervical HSIL and clearance of HPV infections after cryotherapy or LEEP. This analysis will also control for use of LEEP or cryotherapy.
At baseline and week 4
Role of CD4+ cell count as a predictor of sustained absence
Time Frame: At baseline and week 4
Poisson regression analyses will be used to determine if baseline CD4+ cell count is associated with of sustained absence of cervical HSIL and clearance of HPV infections after cryotherapy or LEEP. This analysis will also control for use of LEEP or cryotherapy.
At baseline and week 4
Role of plasma HIV-1 RNA as a predictor of sustained absence
Time Frame: At baseline and week 4
Poisson regression analyses will be used to determine if baseline plasma HIV-1 RNA count is associated with of sustained absence of cervical HSIL and clearance of HPV infections after cryotherapy or LEEP. This analysis will also control for use of LEEP or cryotherapy.
At baseline and week 4
Role of ART use as a predictor of sustained absence
Time Frame: At baseline and week 4
Poisson regression analyses will be used to determine if ART use is associated with of sustained absence of cervical HSIL and clearance of HPV infections after cryotherapy or LEEP. This analysis will also control for use of LEEP or cryotherapy.
At baseline and week 4
Role of age as a predictor of sustained absence
Time Frame: At baseline and week 4
Poisson regression analyses will be used to determine if age is associated with of sustained absence of cervical HSIL and clearance of HPV infections after cryotherapy or LEEP. This analysis will also control for use of LEEP or cryotherapy.
At baseline and week 4
Role of sexual behavior as a predictor of sustained absence
Time Frame: At baseline and week 4
Poisson regression analyses will be used to determine if sexual behavior is associated with of sustained absence of cervical HSIL and clearance of HPV infections after cryotherapy or LEEP. This analysis will also control for use of LEEP or cryotherapy.
At baseline and week 4
Role of vaccination use as a predictor of sustained absence
Time Frame: At baseline and week 4
Poisson regression analyses will be used to determine if vaccine use is associated with of sustained absence of cervical HSIL and clearance of HPV infections after cryotherapy or LEEP. This analysis will also control for use of LEEP or cryotherapy.
At baseline and week 4
Incident cervical vaccine type HPV infections defined as infections at 2 consecutive timepoints and assessed using type specific HPV DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Time Frame: Up to week 104
Vaccine and placebo participants will be compared with respect to these proportions using the chi-square test corrected for continuity.
Up to week 104
Abnormal cervical cytology
Time Frame: Baseline, week 26, 52, and 104
The proportion of women with abnormal cervical cytology at baseline, week 26, 52, and 104 will be reported and compared between arms.
Baseline, week 26, 52, and 104
Prevalent vulvar HSIL or cancer
Time Frame: Up to week 4
The prevalence of vulvar HSIL or cancer at baseline will be estimated using the binomial proportion and its 95% confidence interval.
Up to week 4
Incident vulvar HSIL or cancer
Time Frame: Up to week 104
The proportion of women who acquire vulvar HSIL or cancer among those negative for vulvar HSIL or cancer at baseline for both intervention arms will be estimated as a binomial proportion for both groups. The chi-square test corrected for continuity will be used to compare arms with respect to the proportions who acquire vulvar HSIL during the study.
Up to week 104
Clinical and demographic factors associated with incident vulvar HSIL or cancer
Time Frame: Up to week 104
Logistic regression analyses will be used to evaluate associations with incident vulvar HSIL or cancer acquisition with clinical and demographic factors and arm.
Up to week 104

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
HPV type distributions
Time Frame: Up to week 104
Will characterize the HPV type distribution in baseline histology specimens and compare this to the types observed among incident cervical and vulvar HSIL lesions. Specifically, will compare the number and proportion of vaccine-type and non-vaccine type lesions between arms.
Up to week 104
HPV strain variant analysis of cervical and vulvar HSIL specimens
Time Frame: Up to week 104
For study participants who have the same HPV type in HSIL specimens at baseline and follow-up time points, sequencing will be performed to determine whether or not HSIL is caused by an identical HPV strain. Will use all available pairs of baseline and follow-up HSIL caused by the same HPV type. Will report the proportion of these pairs with the same HPV strain in both treatment arms. Additionally, will report the rates of HSIL caused by new vaccine type infections. We will compare the two study groups using a chi-square test. This will be a descriptive analysis only as no sufficient data on which to power this analysis.
Up to week 104
Tissue microarray library of cervical specimens for biomarker analysis and discovery
Time Frame: Up to week 104
Specimen banking objective. There is no pre-specified statistical analysis plan for this objective. Any future studies using these specimens will need to receive separate approval by NCI and CTEP.
Up to week 104
hrHPV type distribution in the anus
Time Frame: Up to week 104
McNemar's chi-square test to compare the prevalence of that type in the anus and cervix will be used. For each hrHPV type, chi-square analyses will be used to compare the two HPV vaccination groups with respect to the distribution of that type in the (anus, cervix). Will report the proportion of incident cervical infections that were preceded by anal detection of the same type.
Up to week 104
hrHPV type prevalence in the anus
Time Frame: Up to week 104
McNemar's chi-square test to compare the prevalence of that type in the anus and cervix will be used. For each hrHPV type, chi-square analyses will be used to compare the two HPV vaccination groups with respect to the distribution of that type in the (anus, cervix). Will report the proportion of incident cervical infections that were preceded by anal detection of the same type.
Up to week 104
Vaccine-induced antibody titers
Time Frame: Up to week 104
Will explore the antibody titers for the vaccine type found in the HSIL in these women as compared to those without HSIL caused by that type. Analysis of vaccine titers between those with incident vaccine type HPV infections that persist for 2 or more study visits and those that do not will be performed.
Up to week 104

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
AIDS Malignancy Consortium

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
University of California, Los Angeles
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
University of Arkansas
The Emmes Company, LLC
AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Carla Chibwesha, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 31, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 26, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 5, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 4, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 13, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 15, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AMC-099 (Other Identifier: CTEP)
  • UM1CA121947 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NCI-2016-00841 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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