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.
Aegis Life Inc. and its parent company Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Entos) have entered into a grant agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the area of infectious disease.
Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is an enzyme ubiquitously expressed in all tissues whose inhibition has proven effective in preventing viral replication. Previous knowledge on DHODH inhibitor vidofludimus calcium demonstrated that this compound inhibits viral replication of DNA, RNA and retroviruses and induces innate immune responses that lead to an antiviral state thus inhibiting virus reactivation.
Moderna Inc.’s mixed results in mid-February from a trial with its mRNA influenza vaccine served to emphasize the need for a more comprehensive preventer of the still problematic-for-many seasonal bug – a space where Vir Biotechnology Inc. has been busy and is slated to report closely watched phase II data from the study called Peninsula in late spring or early summer of this year.
On Vaccine Day, Moderna Inc. had to tell the world there weren’t enough flu cases to get a good reading in one of its two phase III vaccine studies. The northern hemisphere clinical trial of mRNA-1010, a seasonal quadrivalent vaccine, did not meet the statistical threshold because there were not enough sick participants to test to determine an interim efficacy analysis.
Cocrystal Pharma Inc., Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. and MSD R&D (China) Co. Ltd. have jointly patented new cap-dependent endonuclease (CEN) (influenza virus) inhibitors that are reported to be useful for the treatment of influenza.
Researchers from PDS Biotechnology Corp. and affiliated organizations have detailed the development and preclinical evaluation of recombinant protein vaccines formulated with enantio-specific cationic lipid R-DOTAP.
The A’s have it but the B’s don’t in Moderna Inc.’s pivotal phase III study of mRNA-1010, a seasonal flu vaccine for adults living in the southern hemisphere. Interim results showed the vaccine achieved superiority on seroconversion rates for influenzas A/H3N2 and A/H1N1, superiority on geometric mean titer ratios for influenza A/H3N2 and noninferiority on geometric mean titer ratios for influenza A/H1N1. However, noninferiority was not met for the endpoints against the influenza B/Victoria- and B/Yamagata-lineage strains.
