Novavax' VLP flu vacc fares well in mice

USA-based Novavax says that its seasonal influenza vaccine produced robust and broad immune responses compared to other influenza vaccine types, according to a preclinical study published in the February 21 on-line edition of the journal Vaccine.

In the study, mice and ferrets were inoculated with Novavax' virus-like particle vaccine and saw antibody responses that were between 1.8 and 7.4 times greater than those triggered by the comparator vaccines.

According to the Rockville, Maryland-based firm, traditional vaccines, which produce antibodies to the viral protein hemagglutinin, are effective in healthy adults but provide only limited protection among high-risk populations such as the elderly and patients with compromised immune systems, noting that, in the study, its influenza vaccine triggered neutralizing antibodies against hemagglutinin. The firm's VLP vaccine also produced antibodies against neuraminidase, which it hopes could lead to broader protection against viruses that mutate from season to season.