Poliomyelitis

THURSDAY, Sept. 19, 2024 -- Among military children, there has been an improvement in vaccine completion and timeliness, but the risk for noncompletion is higher among children born to younger parents and those with a well-child care location change, according to a study published online Sept. 19 in Pediatrics . Celeste J. Romano, from the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, and colleagues identified children born at military hospitals from 2010 through 2019 and examined vaccine completion and timeliness for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis; polio; measles, mumps, and rubella; hepatitis B; Haemophilus influenzae type b; varicella; and pneumococcal conjugate individually and as a combined seven-vaccine series through 24 months. The researchers found that 74.4 percent of 275,967 children completed the combined seven-vaccine series; delays occurred in 36.2 percent of those who completed the series. Among children born in 2016 and 2017, completion peaked at 78.7 percent. Completion was lowest for rotavirus (77.5 percent); diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (83.1 percent); Haemophilus influenzae type b (86.6 percent); and pneumococcal conjugate (88.4 percent). Children born to younger parents had a higher risk for noncompletion (adjusted risk ratio, 1.33), as did children with a well-child care location change (adjusted risk ratio, 1.10). Parallel risk was seen for delays and noncompletion. "Identified patterns in undervaccination indicate continued challenges to immunization services delivery," the authors write. "Further work is needed to address these barriers to vaccination and improve access to care."

Recipients of the funding include Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Washington University in St. Louis, among others. With COVID-19 still spreading and mpox emerging as a public health emergency of international concern, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is upping preparations for future pandemics.The Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness network (ReVAMPP) will research pathogens that currently lack effective treatments and vaccines, with the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) committing up to $100 million per year to the effort so long as funds are available, the agency announced Sept. 13.“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, the need for robust pandemic preparedness is evident,” NIAID Director Jeanne M. Marrazzo, M.D., said in the release. “The ReVAMPP network will enable researchers to fill key knowledge gaps and identify strategies to develop safe and effective medical countermeasures for targeted virus families before the need becomes critical.” The U.S. has long faced criticism over its pandemic preparedness, both before, during and after COVID-19’s first appearance and spread.ReVAMPP will focus on virus families with known troublemakers, the NIH said, including the families that include dengue and yellow fever, measles, polio and chikungunya. The agency says that focusing on representative pathogens known to cause human disease will enable knowledge to be built that can be transferred to related pathogens. Developing new antibodies and vaccines for these diseases, the agency said in the release, will allow the global health community to respond quickly if a new pandemic threat spawns.Recipients of the funding include the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Washington University in St. Louis, among others.Albert Einstein’s project is called Prepositioning Optimized Strategies for Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics against Diverse Emerging Infectious Threats (PROVIDENT), and the college will receive $70 million over five years from NIAID, according to a Sept. 13 release. HDT Bio, a biotech focused on RNA vaccines, announced Sept. 17 that it will be joining Albert Einstein’s project, netting $2 million per year to create “road maps” for new RNA-based vaccines of potential pandemic pathogens. "It is currently unknown if the state-of-the-art approaches used to design vaccine antigens for traditional vaccine technologies can simply be co-opted for use in RNA vaccine technologies," Jesse Erasmus, Ph.D., director of virology at HDT Bio, said in the company’s release. "HDT Bio will address this unknown while generating prototype vaccine candidates for 8 different viruses across 3 virus families of pandemic potential, collaborating with other member institutions of PROVIDENT.”HDT Bio is headquartered in Seattle and has numerous vaccines for viral diseases in its pipeline, including for COVID-19, Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever and Nipah virus.The Research Triangle Institute will serve the ReVAMPP network as a centralized Coordination and Data Sharing Center, the NIH said in its release.

Sept. 10, 2024 -- Alopexx, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel, broad-spectrum immune-mediated therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections, today announced a collaboration with Bharat Biotech for the co-development and commercialization of Alopexx’s proprietary broad-spectrum anti-microbial vaccine, AV0328, in India and other low income and lower middle-income countries. Bharat Biotech is a pioneering biotechnology company known for its world-class research and development and manufacturing capabilities. As part of the collaboration, the companies will co-develop and commercialize AV0328, a synthetic vaccine targeting poly N-acetyl glucosamine (PNAG), in India and other licensed territories. Alopexx would be entitled to a one-time upfront payment and milestone payments, as well as royalties on future sales of AV0328 in the licensed territories. “We are excited to enter into this collaboration with Bharat Biotech,” said Dr. Daniel Vlock, CEO of Alopexx. “To partner with a company with such vast experience and expertise in vaccine development is a significant validation of the value and potential of Alopexx’s technology. This collaboration brings us one step closer to addressing the critical need for affordable, broad-spectrum antimicrobial solutions, especially in low-and middle-income countries.” Dr. Vlock added, “We also deeply appreciate the collaborative support provided by Bharat Biotech. This support is not only crucial for the advancement of AV0328, but will also significantly bolster our overall clinical programs. The broad and breakthrough potential of our platforms in treating a wide array of bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections represents a transformative approach to combating infectious diseases on a global scale.” Dr. Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, commented, “We are proud to collaborate with Alopexx to bring AV0328 to the regions where it is most needed. Our goal is to develop solutions to reduce anti-microbial resistance through vaccination. This collaboration aligns with our mission to provide safe, affordable, and high-quality vaccines to combat infectious diseases globally.” AV0328 is a synthetic vaccine designed to target poly N-acetyl glucosamine (PNAG), a substance found on the surface of a wide range of bacterial, fungal, and parasitic pathogens. In pre-clinical studies, targeting PNAG has shown effectiveness in preventing and treating infections caused by over 15 different pathogens. A phase I, first-in-human trial has been completed, demonstrating that AV0328 is well-tolerated with no serious adverse events observed. The vaccine induced antibodies capable of killing a wide range of PNAG-expressing pathogens, reaffirming its potential as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial solution. Bharat Biotech (BBIL) is a biotech company in Genome Valley, Hyderabad, India. BBIL is a global leader with 145 patents, ~20 vaccines and bio-therapeutics, and registrations in 125 countries. These vaccines were developed through clinical trials in more than 20 countries worldwide and have been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed journals. The company has manufactured and supplied more than 9 billion doses of vaccines globally, saving millions of lives and livelihoods annually. The company has world-class vaccine and bio-therapeutics research, product development, manufacturing, and distribution facilities. BBIL has developed vaccines for infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B, Pentavalent (DPT+HepB+Hib), Rabies, Typhoid, polio, H1N1 influenza, Japanese Encephalitis (JENVAC®), India’s first Rotavirus vaccine, the world’s first Typhoid conjugate vaccine, TYPBAR TCV®, novel vaccines for COVID-19 such as COVAXIN® and INCOVACC®. BBIL introduced WHO pre-qualified vaccines, namely BIOPOLIO®, ROTAVAC®, ROTAVAC 5D®, and TYPBAR TCV®, in several countries worldwide. BBIL has a strong pipeline of innovative vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis, Para Typhi A, non-typhoidal salmonella, chikungunya, and Zika. The acquisition of Chiron Behring Vaccines has positioned Bharat Biotech as one of the world's largest rabies vaccine manufacturers with CHIRORAB® and INDIRAB®. To learn more about BBIL, visit www.bharatbiotech.com. Alopexx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company targeting novel immune therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of bacterial, fungal and parasitic microbial infections. The target of our therapeutics, poly N-acetyl glucosamine (PNAG), has been found in a wide range of pathogens. Our vaccine candidate, AV0328, has been shown to induce protective antibodies against a wide range of PNAG-expressing pathogens in a Phase I trial. F598, our fully human monoclonal antibody, has been shown to be safe and well tolerated in phase I and pilot trials. Following a single infusion, it can provide protection for 2-3 months. Our goal is to develop a broad-spectrum, non-antibiotic therapeutic platform for the treatment and prevention of microbial infections. These immune therapeutics will reduce reliance on antibiotics and the development of antimicrobial resistance. For more information, please visit www.Alopexx.com. The content above comes from the network. if any infringement, please contact us to modify.