Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), naturally released by gram-negative bacteria, are promising platforms for mucosal vaccines due to their immunostimulatory properties and ability to display antigens. Abera Bioscience AB previously developed an OMV platform using genetically engineered bacteria with covalent antigen decoration via Spycatcher/Tag technology.
Abera Bioscience AB has completed a ferret study with its intranasal influenza vaccine candidate. The results were consistently strong and encourage the continued development of the program. Abera intends to publish detailed study data in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
RQ Biotechnology Ltd. has completed an oversubscribed $115 million (£85.5 million) series A financing to advance its long-acting antibody therapeutics for the prevention of influenza in high-risk and immunocompromised populations.
The U.S. FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted unanimously in favor of Moderna Inc.’s trivalent mRNA flu vaccine, mRNA-1010, which the company wants to brand as Mflusiva. On the question of whether the benefits of the product outweigh the risks in people ages 50 to 64, balloting was 9-0, and on whether the same is true in those 65 and older, the tally was again 9-0.
Abera Bioscience AB has announced the decision by CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) to extend the ongoing project supporting the development of Abera’s BERA vaccine platform and the company’s influenza vaccine candidate. The project period has been extended until Dec. 31, 2026, with the budget unchanged.
On the eve of the June 17 Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting, which will discuss Moderna Inc.’s mRNA-1010, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have reported that the vaccine conferred broader and more durable protection than a standard flu shot.
Moderna Inc. will soon find out if the tumult-ridden U.S. FDA’s switcheroo in mid-February will stick regarding mRNA-1010, a prospective new seasonal influenza vaccine. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on June 17 takes up the matter of the shot, which trails a curious history.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will provide up to $9.7 million in additional funding to Pop Biotechnologies Inc. to advance the company’s Pop Bio SNAP (Spontaneous Nanoliposome Antigen Particle) protein vaccine platform into a phase I trial.
Acknowledging that the spread of the Andes virus and the resulting disease, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, “constitutes a credible risk of a future public health emergency,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy is issuing a declaration to provide liability protection for manufacturers, distributors and providers using favipiravir as a medical countermeasure (MCM) against the virus.
Cocrystal Pharma Inc. has reported the discovery of direct-acting antivirals that demonstrate pan-viral activity against multiple viruses, including hantavirus, bunyavirus and influenza. These compounds target a highly conserved region of the viral replication enzyme – the L-protein of Andes virus, which is essential for viral replication and transcription.
