In a move to address both prevention and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV), Brii Biosciences Ltd. has acquired from VBI Vaccines Inc. a global exclusive license to HBV therapeutic vaccine BRII-179 (VBI-2601) and an exclusive license for HBV prophylactic vaccine Prehevbri in the Asia Pacific region, excluding Japan.
SK Bioscience Ltd. and Sanofi Pasteur SA announced June 30 positive results from a phase II study for its 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) candidate called GBP-410, or SP-0202 under Sanofi.
Exevir Bio BV has been awarded a 2-year R&D grant of €1.6 million by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) for preclinical research towards prophylactic and therapeutic solutions for dengue.
Blue Water Biotech Inc. has released preliminary preclinical data supporting the use of its norovirus shell and protrusion (S&P) virus-like particle (VLP) platform to develop a novel mpox vaccine candidate.
SARS-CoV-2 and influenza (flu) viruses share similar clinical manifestations, common transmission mechanisms and target tissues, often overlapping during seasonal outbreaks. In addition, co-infection of these viruses worsens disease severity, emphasizing the pressing need for a vaccine that effectively tackles both.
Eubiologics Co. Ltd. said it would file for regulatory approval for its COVID-19 vaccine called Eucorvac-19 in the Philippines, after announcing positive interim phase III trial results on June 27.
TFF Pharmaceuticals Inc. has been awarded a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to continue development of a novel, mucosal, multivariant influenza vaccine using the company’s thin film freezing (TFF) technology.
To address the absence of clinical trials evaluating immunotherapeutics for Acinetobacter baumannii infections, a team from the University of Texas at San Antonio conducted a study using immunoinformatics (EigenBio’s proprietary epitope prediction software) to identify peptides that contain both putative B- and T-cell epitopes from proteins associated with the pathogenesis of A. baumannii.
Two new polio vaccine candidates designed to prevent the emergence of vaccine-derived virulent polioviruses have been shown to induce immune responses in mice, raising the possibility of eradicating the virus. For that to happen, the transmission of all poliovirus serotypes must be blocked. However, the vaccine used to control polio prevents disease but does not stop transmission, enabling the virus to mutate and regain virulence.
Tuberculosis (TB) is the 13th leading cause of death in the world, and it is rising together with the increased prevalence of drug-resistant TB in many countries. The Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is the only available TB vaccine, and it has been given to more people than any other vaccine. While the BCG vaccine has saved tens of millions of lives, it confers suboptimal protection against pulmonary TB as it is limited to providing protection only until early childhood. Significantly, the BCG vaccine is administered intradermally to confer exceptional mucosal immunity as compared to most other vaccines, which are more commonly administered intramuscularly. Novel strategies to improve the duration of TB mucosal immunity are urgently needed.