Vaxart Announces Positive Hamster Challenge Study Data for its Oral COVID-19 Vaccine - Seite 2

“We are happy that just as we dosed the first human subjects in our Phase 1 clinical trial, we showed indicators of protection against COVID-19 in an animal challenge study. These results support the efficacy potential of our oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate suggested by our earlier pre-clinical data,” said Andrei Floroiu, chief executive officer of Vaxart. “We believe that our oral vaccine can be an important global solution for the COVID-19 pandemic, given its more convenient route of administration and supply chain distribution as compared to cold chain dependent injectable vaccines.”

Hamsters provide a very sensitive model for assessing COVID-19 infection since they can be infected via the intranasal route, and, if infected, they demonstrate pronounced clinical symptoms such as weight loss. They can also show signs such as labored breathing and ruffled fur. They also develop lung issues similar to those seen in humans. Images of hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 reveal severe lung injury similar to that seen in infected human lungs, including severe, multi-lobular ground glass opacity, and regions of lung inflammation and consolidation.   

About Vaxart

Vaxart is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a range of oral recombinant vaccines based on its proprietary delivery platform. Vaxart vaccines are designed to be administered using convenient room temperature-stable tablets that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and eliminate the risk of needle-stick injury. Vaxart has demonstrated that its proprietary tablet vaccine delivery platform is suitable to deliver recombinant vaccines, positioning the company to develop oral versions of currently marketed vaccines and to design recombinant vaccines for new indications. Its development programs currently include tablet vaccines designed to protect against coronavirus, norovirus, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), Vaxart’s first immuno-oncology indication. Vaxart has filed broad domestic and international patents covering its proprietary technology and creations for oral vaccination using adenovirus and TLR3 agonists.