Novavax' Preclinical Influenza Nanoparticle Study Published in Vaccine

Novel vaccine candidate, NanoFlu(TM), outperforms market-leading Fluzone® High Dose based on antibody titers and neutralization of recent and historic influenza viruses in a preclinical study

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug.  23, 2017  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novavax, Inc., (Nasdaq:NVAX) today announced that data from a preclinical study of its nanoparticle influenza vaccine candidate with its proprietary Matrix-M(TM) adjuvant (NanoFlu(TM)) have been published in the journal Vaccine. Novavax is developing NanoFlu to protect older adults from seasonal influenza.

The manuscript describes the formulation of Novavax' novel seasonal influenza vaccine candidate, NanoFlu, based on the 2017-2018 World Health Organization (WHO) recommended influenza strains. The study, conducted in ferrets, found that NanoFlu induced hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) and microneutralizing (MN) antibodies against a broad range of influenza subtypes. In a head-to-head comparison against standard-dose and high-dose (HD) inactivated influenza vaccines in ferrets, NanoFlu elicited higher HAI and MN antibody responses exceeding those induced by the high-dose vaccine against recent (homologous) A(H3N2) by 7-fold, A(H1N1) by 26-fold, and B strain viruses by 2-fold. Additionally, NanoFlu induced superior protection in a ferret challenge model against a homologous and a 10-year old drifted influenza strain spanning over a decade.

"These data suggest that NanoFlu has the potential to elicit a broader, more robust immune response, resulting in greater protection than the market-leading licensed influenza vaccine in older adults, Sanofi's Fluzone® High-Dose. NanoFlu outperformed standard dose Fluzone and Fluzone HD in HAI assays, an established surrogate marker of protection," said Gregory Glenn, M.D., President, Research and Development. "Further, these data suggest NanoFlu has the potential to address the problem of annual strain mismatch due to its ability to induce highly neutralizing antibodies against a broad range of influenza strains. These data show that NanoFlu provides improved protective responses to both the current recommended influenza strains as well as drifted strains."