Pharmaceutical Business review

Positive preclinical studies for Novavax flu vaccines

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Alabama., have been collaborating with Novavax to test the company’s virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines for various strains of influenza.

“These results are highly encouraging and are an early affirmation of the strength of our VLP platform in several preclinical models,” said Dr Rick Bright, Novavax’s vice president of vaccine development. “Our collaborations with these highly respected teams are proving to be successful and instrumental in characterizing our vaccines for influenza.”

Novavax has been preparing VLP vaccines against the H5N1 and other influenza subtypes that have the potential to cause a pandemic.

Using the company’s proprietary VLP technology, Novavax scientists create a particle that is nearly identical to a virus but does not have the virus’s genetic material required for replication or infection. When inoculated into the body, these particles have the ability to attach to cells and trigger a natural immune response that is capable of protecting against viral infection.