Vaxart Announces Initiation of Coronavirus Vaccine Program
January 31 2020 - 8:00AM
Vaxart, Inc. (NasdaqGS: VXRT), a clinical-stage biotechnology
company developing oral recombinant vaccines administered by tablet
rather than by injection, announced today that it has initiated a
program to develop a coronavirus vaccine candidate based on its
proprietary oral vaccine platform, VAAST.
“Vaxart’s proprietary technology has been clinically proven in
humans, and the ability to make an oral vaccine to meet this
current public health threat is very important to all of us at
Vaxart,” said Sean Tucker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of
Vaxart. “The results of our recently published influenza challenge
study demonstrated that our oral tablet vaccine primarily protects
through mucosal immunity, a potential key factor when targeting
mucosal pathogens such as this new coronavirus.”
Under the program, Vaxart plans to generate vaccine candidates
based on the published genome of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus
(2019-nCoV) and evaluate them in preclinical models for their
ability to generate both mucosal and systemic immune
responses. Of particular interest will be the mucosal immune
responses, as coronavirus is primarily an infection of the
respiratory tract.
To date, Vaxart has conducted multiple clinical trials with
vaccines based on its VAAST platform, demonstrating its oral tablet
vaccines consistently generate robust mucosal responses in
humans. In addition, Vaxart’s vaccines have demonstrated
efficacy in humans for H1 influenza, and in pre-clinical models for
chikungunya, aerosolized Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) and
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
“We believe our oral tablet vaccines provide substantial
potential advantages, especially when targeting mucosal pathogens
such as flu, norovirus, RSV and the recently emerged coronavirus,”
said Wouter Latour, MBA, MD. “In addition, the logistical
advantages of an oral vaccine that is administered using a
convenient room temperature-stable tablet could be of critical
benefit when rolling out a major public health vaccination
campaign.”
About CoronavirusThe 2019 Novel Coronavirus
(2019-nCoV) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus)
identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first
detected in Wuhan, China. Early on, many of the patients in the
outbreak in Wuhan, China reportedly had some link to a large
seafood and animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread.
However, a growing number of patients reportedly have not had
exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread is
occurring. At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably
this virus is spreading between people. The latest situation
summary updates are available on CDC’s web page 2019 Novel
Coronavirus, Wuhan, China.
About VaxartVaxart is a clinical-stage
biotechnology company focused on developing oral recombinant
protein vaccines based on its proprietary oral vaccine platform.
Vaxart’s vaccines are designed to generate broad and durable immune
responses that protect against a wide range of infectious diseases
and may also be useful for the treatment of chronic viral
infections and cancer. Vaxart’s vaccines are administered using a
convenient room temperature-stable tablet, rather than by
injection. Vaxart believes that tablet vaccines are easier to
distribute and administer than injectable vaccines and have the
potential to significantly increase vaccination rates. Vaxart’s
development programs include oral tablet vaccines that are designed
to protect against norovirus, seasonal influenza and respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV), as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human
papillomavirus (HPV). For more information, please visit
www.vaxart.com.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that
involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other
than statements of historical facts, included in this press release
regarding our strategy, prospects, plans and objectives, results
from preclinical and clinical trials, commercialization agreements
and licenses, beliefs and expectations of management are
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may be
accompanied by such words as “believe,” “could,” “potential,”
“will” and other words and terms of similar meaning. Examples of
such statements include, but are not limited to, statements
relating to the Vaxart’s ability to develop and commercialize its
product candidates and clinical results and trial data (including
plans with respect to the proposed Coronavirus vaccine program);
Vaxart’s intention to continue its efforts to advance its oral
tablet seasonal flu vaccine; and Vaxart’s expectations with respect
to the important advantages it believes its oral vaccine platform
can offer over injectable alternatives, particularly for mucosal
pathogens such as norovirus, flu and RSV, as well as
coronaviruses such as SARS, MERS and the virus that recently
emerged in China. Vaxart may not actually achieve the plans, carry
out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections
disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual
results or events could differ materially from the plans,
intentions, expectations and projections disclosed in the
forward-looking statements. Various important factors could cause
actual results or events to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements that Vaxart makes, that Vaxart’s product
candidates may not be approved by the FDA or non-U.S. regulatory
authorities; that, even if approved by the FDA or non-U.S.
regulatory authorities, Vaxart’s product candidates may not achieve
broad market acceptance; that Vaxart may experience manufacturing
issues and delays; and other risks described in the “Risk Factors”
sections of Vaxart’s Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with the
SEC. Vaxart does not assume any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
CONTACT:
Brant BiehnVaxart650 550 3500bbiehn@vaxart.com
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