IDRI Makes Its Adjuvant Available To Increase Global Supply Of Pandemic Vaccines

Main Category: Swine Flu
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 12 Jun 2009 - 6:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Following the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of swine flu pandemic, the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) announced it has successfully developed an adjuvant that could significantly enhance both the effectiveness and supplies of pandemic flu vaccines. The Seattle-based not-for-profit organization will make its adjuvant technology available to flu vaccine manufacturers for the production of A (H1N1) or future pandemic flu vaccines.

"As stressed by Dr. Chan at today's press conference, there is a real urgency to address the needs of developing countries for adequate supplies of swine flu pandemic vaccines. She rightly urged for global solidarity to ensure that no one would be left behind," said Dr. Steven Reed, Founder and Head of IDRI's Research and Development Program. "At IDRI, we believe our continued investment in innovative technologies for global health could provide a significant contribution toward achieving that goal."

IDRI's soluble-emulsion (SE) adjuvant was shown in pre-clinical studies to increase the immune response induced by a flu antigen. Importantly, while using decreasing amounts of antigen, the immune response to the adjuvanted flu vaccine remained higher than with the same vaccine without adjuvant.(1) As a result of the immune boost provided by the SE adjuvant, a smaller dose of flu antigen would be required for the vaccine to stimulate a protective immune response against the disease. This "antigen-sparing" activity would allow the production of more vaccine doses that could protect many more people against pandemic influenza.

In addition, IDRI's SE adjuvant was recently evaluated in a clinical trial of a seasonal flu vaccine through collaboration with its biotech partner Immune Design Corp. Preliminary data show that in healthy adult and elderly volunteers the adjuvanted vaccine candidate was well-tolerated and had a safety profile comparable to the standard seasonal flu vaccine.(1)

The major global public threat posed by new A (H1N1) flu strain demands seamless coordination among vaccine manufacturers, governments, and global health authorities to manage the supply of vaccines and to ensure there are enough doses for everyone, including those who live in the poorest countries. IDRI, with its history of public-private partnerships and international collaborations, is well positioned to effectively team up with those organizations involved in the development of pandemic influenza vaccines.

IDRI's SE adjuvant is similar in composition to adjuvant formulations currently used in pandemic influenza vaccines by large pharmaceutical companies, but which are not easily accessible to developing country manufacturers. Data collected to date with IDRI's SE adjuvant are comparable to results reported with these proprietary adjuvants. It is expected that "antigen-sparing" would also be observed when combining IDRI's adjuvant with a pandemic A (H1N1) vaccine antigen.

"IDRI's adjuvant expertise is unique in the not-for-profit sector and probably also unique for a U.S.-based organization," continued Dr. Reed. "To ensure access to the adjuvant as quickly as possible, we are actively exploring ways to increase our adjuvant production capacity in the U.S. as well as mechanisms to transfer our adjuvant technology and manufacturing know-how to vaccine manufacturers worldwide."

About IDRI's adjuvants

Adjuvants are compounds used to improve the body's immune response to vaccines. Adjuvant technology is proving invaluable in the development of serious diseases for which vaccines are not currently available, including malaria and HIV.

Adjuvants are a key research component of IDRI's malaria, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and leprosy vaccine development programs with the support of leading institutions such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

IDRI has already transferred some of its adjuvants to the Instituto Butantan in Brazil for the development of a leishmaniasis vaccine.

IDRI-Translating science into global health solutions

IDRI is a Seattle-based not-for-profit organization committed to applying innovative science to the research and development of products to prevent, detect and treat infectious diseases of poverty. By integrating capabilities, IDRI strives to create an efficient pathway bringing scientific innovation from the lab to the people who need it most.

(1) Data on file

Source: Infectious Disease Research Institute