Re: Farmas USA
Tobacco-based influenza vaccine hailed a promising alternative to egg-based methods.
http://www.thepharmaletter.com/article/tobacco-based-influenza-vaccine-hailed-a-promising-alternative-to-egg-based-methods
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A new tobacco-based seasonal influenza vaccine could potentially rival traditional egg-based versions, an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData has said.
The vaccine, which is being developed by Japanese drugmaker Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma (TYO: 4508), is currently in Phase III development and aims to launch in the USA for the 2018/19 flu season.
It involves the implanting of influenza genetic material into tobacco leaves, a manufacturing process originally developed by Medicago (TSX: MDG), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company which was acquired by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma in 2013.
The technology involved in the new vaccine can be produced in four weeks, six times faster than egg-based methods.
Achilleas Livieratos, GlobalData’s analyst covering infectious diseases, said: “As well as taking six months to work, during which time minor genetic mutations can decrease vaccine efficacy, individuals with egg allergies cannot safely receive vaccines, leaving them vulnerable to infection.
“A number of vaccine giants including Sanofi (Euronext: SAN), GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) and MedImmune/AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) are also developing their vaccine portfolios. However, their current egg-based, quadrivalent, inactivated (split virus) seasonal influenza vaccines lack the manufacturing efficiency of tobacco plant-derived vaccines that can also generate virus-like particles (VLPs).”
The insect-based VLP seasonal influenza candidate of US biopharmaceutical company Novavax (Nasdaq: NVAX) has already been taken into Phase III of clinical development, ahead of Mitsubishi Tanabe.
Plant-based production methods boast reduced infrastructure costs and half the production time compared to those of conventional cell culture-based methods, however.
Dr Livieratos said: “Mitsubishi Tanabe’s pipeline tobacco product is one of a number of VLP influenza vaccines set to take over from the traditional kind, as they represent an exciting emerging vaccine class that can generate effective and longer-lasting protection while also being amenable to a diverse array of production methods."
He continued: “Mitsubishi Tanabe will need to demonstrate strong safety data and yearly production consistency of its tobacco-based vaccine. If the company’s product, or one like it, is approved, GlobalData expects a novel vaccine that boasts a rapid, plant-based manufacturing process to have a significant impact on the seasonal influenza vaccine landscape.”
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