---
title: "This Pharma Company Is Set to Begin HIV Vaccine Trials"
description: "Johnson & Johnson, one of the world's biggest pharmaceuticals, is set to begin human trials of an HIV vaccine in the U.S. and Europe."
date: "2019-07-12"
modified: "2019-07-12"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/big-pharma-hiv-vaccine-trial"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
  - "Medical"
  - "Pathogens"
  - "Viruses"
tags:
  - "HIV"
  - "hiv vaccine"
  - "hiv virus"
  - "pharmaceuticals"
  - "the digest"
---

# This Pharma Company Is Set to Begin HIV Vaccine Trials

![Johnson & Johnson, one of the world's biggest pharmaceuticals, is set to begin human trials of an HIV vaccine in the U.S. and Europe.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/big-pharma-hiv-vaccine-trial.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Shutterstock/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## HIV Vaccine

There have been plenty of [reports of HIV vaccines](<https://futurism.com/an-end-to-aids-new-vaccine-could-be-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-for-hiv>) over the last decade. But now Johnson & Johnson, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, is entering the fray.

[According to *Bloomberg*](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-12/j-j-poised-for-major-trial-in-quest-for-elusive-hiv-vaccine>), the pharma giant is set to begin human trials of an HIV vaccine in the U.S. and Europe. 3,800 men who have sex with men will be given the shot in a study that's reportedly launching later this year.

"The cost of treating HIV patients — the burden for patients, the burden for society — is very high," Paul Stoffels, J&J’s chief scientific officer, told *Bloomberg*. HIV prevention is "a big mission for us," he said. "We’ve been working on it for almost 30 years."

## Mosaic Proteins

The news comes after researchers [managed to eliminate](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/crispr-cure-hiv-living-animals-first-time>) HIV from the genomes of living animals for the first time earlier this month.

J&J's shot targets more than one HIV strain thanks to a "mosaic" of proteins that could raise immune defenses against different HIV strains around the globe. Previous animal trials of the so-called "tetravalent mosaic" saw an up to two-thirds success rate, according to Johnson & Johnson.

“It’s measurably better in animal studies than other vaccines tested thus far,” Bruce Walker, director of the disease immunity-focused Ragon Institute, told *Bloomberg*.

**READ MORE:** [J&J’s Quest for Elusive HIV Vaccine Is Poised for Major Test](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-12/j-j-poised-for-major-trial-in-quest-for-elusive-hiv-vaccine>) \[*Bloomberg*\]

**More on HIV:** *[CRISPR Helps Scientists Cure HIV In Living Animals For First Time](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/crispr-cure-hiv-living-animals-first-time>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)