Immunovaccine offers enhanced anthrax vaccine candidate
Currently, to provide protection from anthrax, individuals receive a 6-dose regime with three injections given two weeks apart, followed by three additional injections given at 6, 12, and 18 months; annual booster injections of the vaccine are recommended thereafter; Canadian company Immunovaccine says it developed a method to cut this arduous regimen by half
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada-based Immunovaccine Inc. use the occasion of the Canada-U.S. Partners in Biomedical Defense II Conference in Washington, D.C. today, 10 February 2010, to present positive new research, done in collaboration with Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC), confirming the number of required doses for an anthrax vaccine candidate can be reduced when formulated in DepoVax.
The new research shows that a single-dose of anthrax antigen, when formulated in DepoVax, is able to raise antibody levels that are ten times higher on average than a comparable alum-adjuvanted anthrax vaccine. Enhanced vaccine antibody titres were noted in separate studies performed by Immunovaccine and DRDC in two different animal models. A single vaccination with anthrax antigen formulated in DepoVax performed better than two doses of the control vaccine. Persisting high antibody levels were induced within four weeks following a single dose of anthrax antigen with DepoVax.
DepoVax is a vaccine delivery platform that uses liposomes to bring active vaccine components — antigens and immune enhancers — into an oil depot. This patented formulation creates a long lasting “depot effect” that produces a potent humoral or cellular immunity, often with a single dose.
“We are pleased that our collaboration with DRDC is progressing well. The results we achieved with anthrax in two different animal species confirms DepoVax’s ability to significantly enhance a vaccine against yet another important infectious disease agent,” commented Marc Mansour, vice president of R&D at Immunovaccine.
Anthrax is a potential bioterrorism agent that can be life-threatening. Currently, to provide protection from anthrax, individuals receive a 6-dose regime with three injections given two weeks apart, followed by three additional injections given at 6, 12, and 18 months. Annual booster injections of the vaccine are recommended thereafter.
Immunovaccine is a clinical stage vaccine development company focused on the commercialization of its patented DepoVax vaccine delivery technology and product candidates. The company says it continues to strengthen its vaccine pipeline through licensing and strategic partnerships to develop therapeutic cancer and infectious disease vaccines.
