Vaxart, Inc. Announces its Oral Flu Vaccine Significantly Reduced Rate of Influenza Infection in Phase 2 Challenge Study
February 31, 2018 at 09:00 pm
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Vaxart, Inc. announced that its investigational H1 influenza oral tablet vaccine demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the rate of influenza infection compared with placebo, and compared favorably with the injectable quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) in a Phase 2 challenge trial. The study was completed with support from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Vaxart oral tablet vaccine reduced the influenza infection rate by 48% compared to 38% with injectable QIV. Specifically, only 37% of the Vaxart subjects developed influenza infection compared with 44% who received the injectable QIV and 71% who received placebo. In the analysis that was performed by BARDA, the results for both vaccines were statistically significant compared to placebo, with p values of 0.001 for the Vaxart vaccine and 0.009 for QIV, exhibiting a strong trend by the Vaxart vaccine toward greater efficacy than injectable QIV. The new Phase 2 results complement previously reported data demonstrating that the Vaxart oral tablet vaccine protected against influenza disease at least as well as injectable QIV and highlighting the favorable safety and tolerability profile of the Vaxart vaccine.
Vaxart, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is primarily focused on the development of oral recombinant vaccines based on its Vector-Adjuvant-Antigen Standardized Technology (VAAST) proprietary oral vaccine platform. Its vaccines are designed to be administered using pills that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and eliminate the risk of needle-stick injury. Its development programs include pill vaccines designed to protect against norovirus (cause for acute gastroenteritis), coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)), and influenza. In addition, it has generated preclinical data for its therapeutic vaccine candidate targeting cervical cancer and dysplasia caused by human papillomavirus. The Company's platform technology employs a vector-based approach and consists of various components, such as a vector (adenovirus type 5 (Ad5); an antigen (Ad5 DNA); an adjuvant (Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3)), and its proprietary enteric-coated tablet.