BioSante’s objective in the preclinical study was to determine whether BioVant could enhance the body’s natural immune response to the H5N1 viral antigen, the cause of bird flu.
At the start of the 10-week trial, mice received either the H5N1 antigen alone or in a formulation with BioVant. A booster immunization was administered after two weeks. Results indicated that the administration of a BioVant/H5N1 formulation stimulated production of high titers of H5N1-specific antibodies, and significantly higher than H5N1 alone. Anti-avian flu antibody levels continued to increase over the entire study period, suggesting good duration of immunity.
“A vaccine with an adjuvant included may allow for better efficacy and lower doses per vaccination which may help to prevent shortages. More importantly, addition of an adjuvant may enable more people to produce an immune response to protect them from disease,” said Stephen Simes, president and CEO of BioSante.