MHRP and collaborators at two sites in Thailand are participating in the MAGI study, a NIAID-sponsored Phase 2 trial of a meningococcal Group B vaccine, Bexsero, in preventing gonococcal infection. The vaccine is currently FDA approved for prevention of bacterial meningitis, but data suggest it may also have activity against gonorrhea.
The Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Center and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences - Royal Thai Army Clinical Research Center are together expected to enroll approximately 1,000 participants who
are at risk for gonorrhea.
Enrollment at the Thai sites has been successful despite recent challenges due to COVID-19 surges in the country. As of the beginning of April 2022, 316 participants were enrolled from the two sites in Thailand out of a total of 475 enrolled across all eight active sites in the multinational study.
MHRP’s participation in the MAGI trial is overseen by the program’s Department of Epidemiology and Threat Assessment (DETA). DETA conducts epidemiologic studies that improve understanding of circulating infectious disease threats and facilitate site capacity and community engagement. DETA has a growing portfolio of interventional studies that enroll military and civilian populations, with an emphasis on testing novel strategies to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.