Singapore’s First Influenza Vaccine Shows Favorable Immunogenicity

Singapore first influenza vaccine has met its primary endpoint for immunogenicity in the Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy Asian volunteers.

Asian Scientist (Feb. 5, 2014) – Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Switzerland’s Cytos Biotechnology AG announced that their H1N1 influenza vaccine (gH1-Qbeta) met its primary endpoint for immunogenicity in the Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy Asian volunteers. The induced immune response showed good cross-reactivity to recent drifted H1N1 strains.

The clinical trial, which commenced in May 2013, completed enrollment and treatment of all 84 healthy volunteers in August 2013. During this trial the volunteers received two injections of the vaccine, 21 days apart.

The vaccine was safe and well tolerated with no serious adverse events reported during the trial. According to the researchers, the induced immune responses were comparable to those of approved seasonal influenza vaccines.

A*STAR is developing the vaccine candidate under a collaborative research, development and commercialization agreement entered into with Cytos in 2010, with the goal of providing the government of Singapore effective means of combating influenza epidemics and pandemics.

Under the agreement, Cytos retains the worldwide right to develop and commercialize the vaccine candidate globally, while A*STAR subsidiaries have the right to develop and commercialize the vaccine for Singapore and other ASEAN countries and can earn royalties on worldwide net sales.

The clinical part of the Phase 1 trial was conducted at the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit and the Changi General Hospital Clinical Trial Research Unit in Singapore.

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Source: A*STAR; Image: kat m research/Flickr/CC.
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