CureVac, GSK Partner Release Data On Influenza Vaccine Study

CureVac N.V. CVAC released interim data on Thursday, April 4, from studies it conducted on its seasonal influenza vaccine candidate.

The study is part of a collaboration with GSK Plc GSK. 

The multivalent candidate was selected from a comprehensive Phase 1 part, which tested vaccine candidates with up to eight separate mRNA constructs per candidate. 

It was designed for broad antigen coverage, encoding antigens matched to all four WHO-recommended flu strains.

Also Read: Moderna’s Vaccine Day: Influenza Vaccine Candidate Testing To Continue As It Misses ‘Early Success’ Threshold.

Results show that the multivalent vaccine candidate using CureVac’s proprietary second-generation mRNA backbone boosted antibody titers against all encoded flu strains and across all age groups and tested dose levels, including the lowest tested dose. 

The vaccine candidate was shown to have an acceptable safety and tolerability profile, with the majority of solicited adverse events reported as either grade 1 (mild) or grade 2 (moderate) within seven days of dosing. 

The results confirm previous findings that the platform elicits strong overall antibody titers at well-tolerated dose levels.

Among younger and older adults, geometric mean titers generated by the vaccine candidate against influenza A strains numerically exceeded the geometric mean titers of the licensed comparator vaccines consistently across all tested dose levels. 

For influenza B strains, geometric mean titers were lower than those elicited by the licensed comparator vaccines across age groups and tested dose levels. 

Targeted optimizations to further improve immune responses against influenza B strains will be tested in an additional Phase 2 study.

In January, CureVac announced interim data from the ongoing Phase 2 study assessing monovalent and bivalent modified vaccine candidates against COVID-19. Both vaccine candidates are being developed in collaboration with GSK.

In December, a German court invalidated a patent central to CureVac’s lawsuit against BioNTech SE BNTX related to seeking fair compensation for infringement of a portfolio of CureVac’s intellectual property rights utilized in Comirnaty, BioNTech, and Pfizer Inc’s PFE mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

The ruling represents the first decision on validity in ongoing patent litigation between CureVac and BioNTech in Germany, involving eight CureVac intellectual property rights. 

Price Action: CVAC shares are up 2.06% at $2.97, and GSK shares are up 0.34% at $41.68 on the last check Thursday.