Astrazeneca plc, which seemed to have backed away from vaccine development after the COVID-19 pandemic, clearly took a shine to Icosavax Inc.’s virus-like particle technology and signed a deal to take over the firm for as much as $1.1 billion.
Astrivax NV has been awarded a €3 million grant by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) to advance development of the company’s therapeutic vaccine targeting chronic hepatitis B.
In a global first, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has approved CSL Ltd.’s and Arcturus Therapeutics Inc.’s self-amplifying messenger RNA (sa-mRNA) vaccine (ARCT-154) for COVID-19 in adults. The approval marks the first milestone for a November 2022 licensing deal under which CSL subsidiary CSL Seqirus in-licensed Arcturus’ late-stage sa-mRNA vaccine platform technology.
Ebviously GmbH, a spin-off from Helmholtz Munich (HMGU), has presented new in vitro data for its Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) vaccine candidate EBV-001. Based on noninfectious virus-like particles (VLPs) derived from EBV, EBV-001 is designed as a highly immunogenic, multiantigen vaccine to prevent EBV-associated diseases, such as infectious mononucleosis.
In a global first, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has approved CSL Ltd.’s and Arcturus Therapeutics Inc.’s self-amplifying messenger RNA (sa-mRNA) vaccine (ARCT-154) for COVID-19 in adults. The approval marks the first milestone for a November 2022 licensing deal under which CSL subsidiary CSL Seqirus in-licensed Arcturus’ late-stage sa-mRNA vaccine platform technology.
Hookipa Pharma Inc. has received clearance from the FDA for its IND application for HB-500, a novel arenaviral therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of HIV.
Voltron Therapeutics Inc., a portfolio company of Lucius Partners LLC, has finalized the protocol for a preclinical dose-ranging efficacy study of VTX-0P4, a protein-based cancer vaccine targeting prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), a key target in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Emergex Vaccines Holding Ltd. has signed a contract with the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for almost £1.8 million (US$2.2 million) to advance a CD8 T cell-based vaccine candidate against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV).
South Korea may soon gain its first domestically developed anthrax vaccine by GC Biopharma Corp., with the Korean biotech having filed Nov. 1 with the MFDS for approval of its novel recombinant protein anthrax vaccine called GC-1109.
Certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), named high-risk types, are known to be clearly associated with 60% of invasive cervical cancer cases. Prophylactic HPV vaccines are highly effective, but there is a need for new treatment options other than surgery.