Serial Monitoring and Hyperimmunoglobulin versus Standard of Care to Prevent Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection: A Phase III Randomized Trial

Introduction: Nonrandomized studies support the potential of cytomegalovirus hyperimmunoglobulin (CMV-HyperIg) in preventing maternofetal CMV transmission, but prospective interventional studies show equivocal results. We pre-sent a prospective phase-III international randomized open-label trial on the potential effect of CMV-HyperIg following serial monitoring of CMV serostatus.

Methods: CMV-seronegative pregnant women (gestational age [GA] <14 weeks) were 1:1 randomized to monthly CMV-serostatus monitoring and CMV-HyperIg upon seroconversion (treatment), or routine prenatal care with CMV-serostatus testing at end of pregnancy (control). Ethical considerations required that control subjects with confirmed seroconversion be offered Cytotect®. The primary endpoint was the proportion of fetuses/newborns with congenital CMV infection. Secondary endpoints included neonatal CMV disease and safety during the 24-month follow-up.

Results: The treatment arm counted 4,800 randomized subjects: 52 seroconverted (median GA 24 [11-35] weeks), of which 45 completed follow-up. The control arm counted 4,735 randomized subjects: 42 seroconverted, of which 34 completed follow-up (evaluable data for 28 newborns) and 8 subjects chose off-label Cytotect®. Congenital CMV rates were 13/28 newborns (46.4% [CI 27.51; 66.13]) vs. 16/45 newborns (35.6% [CI 21.87; 51.22]) in control and treated arms, respectively (p = 0.46). Newborn CMV disease was mostly mild and spontaneously resolving. There were no major safety concerns. The target sample was not reached within an acceptable time frame.

Conclusions: Serial monitoring of CMV serostatus with CMV-HyperIg treatment was associated with a mild nonsignificant reduction in the vertical CMV transmission rate. Studies on the optimal preventive strategy are hampered by epidemiological and ethical challenges and should focus on GA-dependent transmission rates and accurate dating of infection.