BioSante Pharmaceuticals has reported positive results from a dose-ranging preclinical study of its calcium phosphate nanoparticle-based vaccine adjuvant, BioVant.
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The study suggested that BioVant may serve as a vaccine adjuvant for the development of an effective vaccine against H5N1 avian flu.
The objective of BioSante's preclinical study was to determine the optimal formulation of BioVant with a very low dose of H5N1 antigen.
Results showed that the administration of a BioVant/H5N1 formulation stimulated a significantly higher production of titers of H5N1-specific antibodies than H5N1 alone. Further, the anti-bird 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, the addition of an adjuvant may enable a higher percentage of people inoculated to produce an immune response and protect them from disease,” said Stephen Simes, president and CEO of BioSante.
BioVant is composed of specially formulated calcium phosphate, a compound similar to that found in teeth and bones. In multiple studies, BioVant has been shown to be safe and cause minimal dose-dependent inflammation at the injection site.