Valneva SE has struggled to get its COVID-19 vaccine on the market, but efforts to get the first Lyme disease vaccine approved in years now appear firmly on track after partner Pfizer Inc. invested €90.5 million (US$94.9 million) in the project. New York-based Pfizer has been working with Saint-Herblain, France based Valneva on the Lyme disease vaccine since April 2020, when the big pharma bought into the development program for the vaccine candidate codenamed VLA-15 for $130 million.
Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp. launched T-Detect Lyme, a T-cell-based clinical test to detect immune response activated by Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterial species of spirochete that causes Lyme disease. The CLIA-validated laboratory-developed test (LDT) is meant to help diagnose early Lyme disease in adults showing signs and symptoms of the tick-borne illness.
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S. and is also common in certain areas of Europe. Yet, despite this, there are no FDA-approved vaccines available to treat it, meaning those diagnosed must receive a dose of antibiotics. But antibiotics are problematic because of the risk of treatment-resistant strains emerging. That leaves a pressing need for a vaccine or other way to prevent infections from the tick-borne bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
A newly developed messenger RNA vaccine is the first such approach to elicit acquired resistance against the tick Ixodes scapularis and prevent it from transmitting the Lyme disease vector Borrelia burgdorferi in guinea pigs, according to a U.S. study led by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.
The latest global regulatory news, changes and updates affecting medical devices and technologies, including: HHS posts request for information for Lyme diagnostics; NICE: Stak device backed by one 35-enrollee study.
Perkinelmer Inc. is aiming to boost its infectious disease testing footprint with the acquisition of Oxford Immunotec Global plc for $591 million in cash. The purchase, reported Thursday, will allow Perkinelmer to expand its current offerings with solutions for tuberculosis (TB) detection. Perkinelmer shares (NYSE:PKI) hit a high of $162.16 Thursday morning, before closing at $160.53 – up 2.66% from the Wednesday’s close of $156.37.
The latest global regulatory news, changes and updates affecting medical devices and technologies, including: ICER cost models going global; Canada prepares for ICH Q12; HHS partners on Lyme innovation; AMA adds codes for COVID-influenza testing; MedPAC concerned about post-pandemic telehealth; CMS: CLIA audits yield cease-and-desist letters.
The latest global regulatory news, changes and updates affecting biopharma, including: ICER cost models going global; Canada prepares for ICH Q12; HHS partners on Lyme innovation.
DUBLIN – Shares in Valneva SE rose by as much as 32% during early trading April 30 on news that Pfizer Inc. is paying $130 million up front to in-license its Lyme disease candidate vaccine, VLA-15.
