NasVax, (www.nasvax), an Israeli biotechnology company developing innovative biopharmaceutical products designated at improving the immune response and administration of vaccines, has announced today the successful completion of another pre-clinical trial in ferrets.
The study was performed at Retroscreen Virology Ltd, a leading UK company for pre-clinical trials of influenza vaccines. The ferret model was chosen as the most preeminent animal model for the study of influenza vaccines and its efficacy. In this trial NasVax examined its unique technology for intramuscular and intranasal administration of influenza vaccine including the protection of vaccinated animals against infection with the live influenza virus. Findings of both means of administration were successful having proven significant efficacy in comparison to the standard commercial vaccine.
The results of the intramuscular trials showed significantly higher efficacy of NasVax's technology combined with the commercial vaccine, when compared to the efficacy of the commercial vaccine alone. This efficacy was expressed by a significant increase in antibodies against the virus, a decrease in the amount of virus found in the animals' noses and a significant decrease of influenza disease symptoms.
The ferrets that received one third of the traditional vaccine dosage, combined with the company's intramuscular technology, showed similar improved efficacy compared to the full dose of the commercial vaccine given alone. This was evident by a significant decrease in the amount of virus found in their noses after infection, an increase in antibodies against the virus and a significant decrease in the disease's symptoms.
A significant decrease of the virus was also shown in ferrets that received the company's vaccine by the intranasal administration, in comparison to animals that received the commercial vaccine only. In addition the animals receiving the company's intranasal vaccine developed antibodies similar to animals injected by the intramuscular route with the commercial vaccine.
According to Erez Chimovits, CEO NasVax, "the findings of our pre-clinical trials prove that modern medicine may improve the immune response in populations that are not responding well to the traditional flu vaccine. Additionally, the possibility of decreasing the dosage of the vaccines by a third, as shown in these trials, is extremely significant in light of the recent global shortage in flu vaccines".
According to Dr. Itzik Goldwaser, company's president, "the successful results of these trials are a significant milestone for proving the efficacy of the company's innovative vaccine technology, compared to the existing commercial one".
About NasVax
NasVax (TASE: NSVX) engages in the development of improved vaccines. Its technology platform is based on proprietary polycationic sphingolipid-derived molecules that serve both as a potent adjuvant for stimulating enhanced immune responses via the Th1 and Th2 pathways as well as an efficient carrier. The platform enables intranasal as well as intramuscular and subcutaneous administrations.
The Company's proprietary platform technology was developed by its co-founder, Prof. Yechezkel Barenholz along with Prof. Eli Kedar from the Hadassah Medical School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Bio-Lab Ltd., Jerusalem. Prof. Barenholz is the co-inventor of DoxilTM, a liposomal formulation of doxorubicin for cancer treatment, marketed in the USA by Johnson & Johnson and in Europe by Schering Plough (as Caelyx). NasVax's novel technology is protected by several registered patents and patent applications worldwide.
Within one year of operations, the Company completed two private investment rounds; the second round was made by Pontifax venture capital fund, founded in 2004 by Eli Hurvitz, Chairman and former CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Following a successful IPO on December 2005, it turned into a public company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE).
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