COVID Protection After Transplant-Immunosuppression Reduction

Last updated: April 9, 2025
Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Overall Status: Completed

Phase

2

Condition

N/A

Treatment

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine 2023-2024

SOC IS Regimen

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine 2023-2024

Clinical Study ID

NCT05077254
DAIT COVID19-TB-03
NIAID CRMS ID#: 38892
U01AI138897
  • Ages > 18
  • All Genders

Study Summary

This study will enroll individuals who have:

  • Completed primary series of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and

  • An antibody response ≤ 2500 U/mL measured at least 30 days after the last dose of vaccine.

This group of patients is at high risk for severe COVID-19 disease due to pharmacologic immunosuppression and a high prevalence of non-transplant risk factors such as obesity and diabetes.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

Individuals who meet all the following criteria are eligible for enrollment as study participants-

  1. Able to understand and provide informed consent

  2. Individual ≥18 years of age.

  3. Recipient of a kidney or liver transplant ≥12 months prior to enrollment, withoutallograft rejection in the 6 months preceding enrollment

  4. Negative for anti-donor human leukocyte antigens (HLA) antibodies at screening (Central Lab Test Determination).

  5. Currently taking one of the following tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive regimens:

  • Tacrolimus plus Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) or Mycophenolic Acid (MPA), with orwithout a corticosteroid

  • Tacrolimus with trough ≥ 5ng/mL with or without ≤5 mg of prednisone orequivalent

  1. Received a minimum of 3 doses of either the Moderna coronavirus infectious disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccine or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

  2. Participant must be ≥ 60 days after completion of primary vaccination or receipt ofthe most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent or bivalentCOVID-19 vaccine at the time of study vaccine.

  3. Serum antibody negative or low (titer ≤ 2500 U/mL) at ≥ 30 days from the last doseof mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and ≥ 30 days following receipt of a monoclonal antibodyproduct or convalescent plasma for COVID-19, measured using the Roche Elecsys®anti-SARS-CoV-2 S assay.

  4. Participant's transplant physician or midlevel practitioner who is clinicallylicensed to prescribe and manage immunosuppression must confirm the participant'seligibility based on medical history.

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

Individuals who meet any of these criteria are not eligible for enrollment as study participants-

  1. Currently on an immunosuppressive regimen different from the three regimensdescribed in the Inclusion Criteria, for example (but not limited to) thoseincluding sirolimus, everolimus, belatacept, or azathioprine

  2. Recipient of any allograft other than a kidney or liver

  3. Participant is pregnant

  4. Any past history of Donor Specific Antibody (DSA) using local site standards

  5. Prior receipt of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine 2023-2024 or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19Vaccine 2023-2024.

  6. Currently taking any systemic immunosuppressive agent, other than their prescribedtransplant immunosuppression

  7. Known history of severe allergic reaction to any component of an authorized orlicensed COVID-19 vaccine

  8. Thrombotic events, myocarditis, or pericarditis temporally associated with a priordose of COVID-19 vaccine

  9. History of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

  10. Any change in transplant immunosuppression regimen (drug or dose) in response tosuspected or proven rejection within the last 6 months

  11. More than minimal graft dysfunction, in accordance with study definition

  12. Receipt of any cellular depleting agent (e.g. antithymocyte globulins (ATG),rituximab, alemtuzumab, Cyclophosphamide) within 12 months preceding enrollment

  13. Concurrent autoimmune disease at risk for exacerbation with immunosuppressionreduction

  14. Any untreated active infection including BK viremia >10^4 copies

  15. Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

  16. Recent (within one year) or ongoing treatment for malignancy with the exception of:

  • Non- melanomatous skin cancer definitively treated by local therapy, and

  • Definitively treated carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix (Stage 0 cervical cancer)

  1. Treatment or prophylaxis of COVID-19 with a monoclonal antibody product orconvalescent plasma within 6 months preceding enrollment, or

  2. Any past or current medical problems, treatments, or findings which, in the opinionof the investigator, may:

  • pose additional risks from participation in the study,

  • interfere with the candidate's ability to comply with study requirements, or

  • impact the quality or interpretation of the data obtained from the study.

Study Design

Total Participants: 48
Treatment Group(s): 6
Primary Treatment: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine 2023-2024
Phase: 2
Study Start date:
December 06, 2021
Estimated Completion Date:
February 21, 2025

Study Description

This study is a randomized, open-label multi-site trial designed to induce an enhanced antibody response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in kidney and liver transplant recipients who have ≤ 2500 U/mL anti-spike antibody (as measured by the Roche Elecsys® anti-SARS-CoV-2 S assay) after a completed primary series (3 doses) of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

Participants will be randomized to either:

  1. Receive a study dose of mRNA based COVID-19 vaccine (booster) with no change in their immunosuppressive regimen, or

  2. Undergo a temporary, prescribed reduction in their maintenance immunosuppression (IS) regimen and receive a study dose (booster) of mRNA based COVID-19 vaccine.

Protocol Version 8.0 will include a booster dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine 2023-2024 or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine 2023-2024, with or without IS reduction.

Duration of study participation for interested and eligible individuals: 13 months.

Connect with a study center

  • University of California, San Diego

    San Diego, California 92093
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • University of California San Francisco Health

    San Francisco, California 94143
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Emory Healthcare

    Atlanta, Georgia 30322
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • University of Illinois Health

    Chicago, Illinois 60612
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Northwestern University

    Evanston, Illinois 60208
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • University of Iowa Hospitals

    Iowa City, Iowa 52242
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Ochsner Health

    New Orleans, Louisiana 70121
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research: Broadway Adult Outpatient Clinical Research Unit

    Baltimore, Maryland 21287
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Mt. Sinai Hospital

    New York, New York 10029
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • NYU Langone Transplant Institute

    New York, New York 10016
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Weill Cornell Medicine

    New York, New York 10065
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Duke University Medical Center

    Durham, North Carolina 27710
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • University of Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • University of Pittsburgh

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Houston Methodist

    Houston, Texas 77030
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Madison, Wisconsin 53706
    United States

    Site Not Available

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