Iomai’s vaccine shows encouraging results

Vaccinated travelers were 75% less likely to suffer moderate or severe diarrhea from any cause and 84% less likely to be afflicted by severe diarrhea, according to the company. No vaccine-related serious adverse events were reported.

In addition to the protective effects, investigators found that the frequency and duration of diarrhea in vaccinated subjects who did contract disease was significantly lower than in their unvaccinated peers.

“The results from this study strongly suggest that the use of Iomai’s needle-free, patch-based vaccine can have a notable impact in reducing the chances of suffering from the ravages of travelers’ diarrhea,” said Herbert DuPont, professor and director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at The University of Texas School of Public Health and the principal investigator on the trial.

“Right now, we are generally limited to administering antibiotics after the illness has begun. An effective, easy-to-use vaccine would be a vast improvement and have an immediate impact on travel medicine.”

The Trek phase II field study followed 170 subjects, 111 who received a placebo and 59 who received two doses of Iomai’s patch-based vaccine before traveling to Mexico or Guatemala. These efficacy results were particularly notable as the trial was conducted largely to gather information on the logistics of conducting such a study in the field.