Vaccine News

The U.S. NIH’s Carl Dieffenbach, Ph.D., Director of the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke with Louis Shackelford, MPH, on July 25, 2023, about HIV vaccine studies being discussed at IAS 2023 and potential roles for broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs).

Noting it is an exciting time in HIV vaccine research, Carl explained that scientists are exploring how to take what we have learned about bNAbs, which prevented the acquisition of some HIV strains, and turn that into an HIV vaccine. 

In addition, Carl and Louis discussed how bNAbs are being studied for use in HIV treatment and even, possibly, a cure. 

Previous research indicates that bNAbs may also activate other immune cells to help destroy HIV-infected cells.

And a study published in February 2022 identified an additional antiviral activity of bNAbs, which block HIV-1 release by tethering viral particles at the surface of infected cells.

View and listen to their conversation at the International AIDS Society’s 12th Conference on HIV Science in Germany at this YouTube link.

As of July 27, 2023, the U.S. FDA has not approved any HIV vaccine candidate.

Anixa Biosciences, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Notice of Allowance broadening protection of Anixa's novel ovarian cancer vaccine technology, which has been exclusively licensed from, and is being developed in partnership with The Cleveland Clinic.  

This ovarian cancer vaccine targets the extracellular domain of anti-Müllerian hormone receptor 2 (AMHR2-ED), which is expressed in the ovaries but disappears as a woman reaches and advances through menopause.

However, AMHR2-ED is expressed again in the majority of ovarian cancers.

Dr. Amit Kumar, Chairman and CEO of Anixa, stated in a press release on July 27, 2023, "We are pleased to receive this notice of allowance from the USPTO, providing additional protection for our ovarian cancer vaccine technology, including a possible mRNA vaccine."

"Preclinical work to advance the vaccine is ongoing with support from the PREVENT Program at the National Cancer Institute, which supports preclinical innovative interventions and biomarkers for cancer prevention and interception."

The patent is titled "Ovarian Cancer Vaccines" and covers nucleic acid-based vaccine delivery. The late Dr. Vincent Tuohy of The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio is the lead inventor.

As of July 2023, the U.S. FDA has not approved an ovarian cancer vaccine.

Silvia Licciulli, Ph.D., wrote on June 7, 2023, the concept of using vaccination to eradicate cancer by instructing the immune system to eliminate malignant cells has been pursued for decades with little success.

To be successful, cancer vaccine approaches must overcome significant hurdles, including low immunogenicity and the immunosuppressive effects of the tumor microenvironment.

GSK plc today announced Shingrix®, a vaccine against herpes zoster (shingles), had achieved a U.S. cumulative immunization rate that grew from 30% at the end of 2022 and has now reached 32% at the end of Q1'23.

And sales increased in the second quarter of 2023, reaching 880 million pounds (about $1.1 billion).

However, U.S. sales declined 10% in the quarter, impacted by unfavorable wholesaler and distributor inventory movements plus lower non-retail demand partly offset by strong retail growth and pricing.

On October 20, 2017, the U.S. FDA authorized Shingrix.

Furthermore, Shingrix is now available in 33 countries, with recent additions in India and Japan.

Emma Walmsley, Chief Executive Officer, GSK said in a press release on July 26, 2023, "We have made a strong start to 2023, with excellent performance across Vaccines, Specialty and General Medicines."

"We are very focused on our upcoming launches, including our potential RSV older adult vaccine, and on continuing to strengthen our pipeline – both organically with several positive late-stage read-outs already this year, and through targeted business development."

In the U.S., the CDC says an estimated 1 million people get shingles yearly. If you've ever had chickenpox, you can get shingles. Even children can get shingles. Your risk of shingles increases as you get older.

GSK says people should not receive Shingrix if they are allergic to its ingredients or have had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of Shingrix.

In the United States, community outbreaks of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) typically occur during late fall, winter, and early spring.

However, recent data indicates the state of Florida has been the location where RSV cases are initially reported each year.

As of July 22, 2023, the Florida Department of Health segmented reported RSV activity had been identified in a few counties, and the southeast area was in-season, but no community outbreaks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say RSV can be contagious for 3 to 8 days in an infected person and is spread by coughs or sneezes. And healthcare providers should consider RSV in patients with respiratory illness.

Infants and children with RSV infection may have rhinorrhea and decreased appetite before other symptoms appear. Additionally, some infants and people with weakened immune systems can spread RSV after not showing signs for up to one month.

As of July 18, 2023, laboratories reported to the CDC the total number of RSV tests performed and those tests that were positive. 

From a prevention perspective, the U.S. FDA has recently approved RSV vaccines and a second antibody therapy for children.

A high-level travel advisory was reissued today for the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), disclosing various reasons not to visit this Southeast Asian nation in 2023.

On July 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of State's Level 4 Travel Advisory highlighted civil unrest and the risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals by the military regime exists.

Additionally, the U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services in Myanmar as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel outside of the city of Yangon (Rangoon).

Furthermore, visitors should exercise increased caution due to wrongful detentions and areas with land mines and unexploded ordnance.

From a health perspective, the State Department confirmed limited and/or inadequate healthcare resources in Myanmar.

And recently, the U.S. CDC confirmed Dengue is a risk in many parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands, including Myanmar.

If you intend to visit Myanmar, the CDC suggests speaking with a healthcare provider about routine and travel vaccinations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today published an update Disease Outbreak News regarding the Republic of Peru's ongoing Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) outbreak.

On July 25, 2023, the WHO reported 130 suspected cases of GBS between June 10 and July 15, 2023. Of these cases (94 cases) presented with upward progression of paralysis as a neurological manifestation.

Throughout 2023 (until July 15, 2023), a total of 231 cases have been confirmed.

To date, the potential cause of the unexpected GBS incidence remains under investigation.

Furthermore, the WHO and the U.S. CDC have not issued any recommendations to impose travel and/or trade restrictions in response to this GBS outbreak.

The Presidency of the Republic of Peru declared a national health emergency in early July 2023, due to the unusual increase and enhanced the implementation of public health responses.

In 2019, Peru reported an unprecedented outbreak of GBS that affected several regions of the country, with almost 700 reported cases. 

From the clinical-epidemiological characteristics and the study of the identified agents, it was concluded that the outbreak was associated with the presence of the Campylobacter jejuni sequence type 2993 genotype.

The WHO says GBS is a rare neurological disorder of variable clinical severity, including fatal outcomes. It is the most common form of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), a polio-like disease.

It is characterized by motor weakness, areflexia (absence of muscle reflexes), sensory abnormalities, and elevated protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (cytoalbuminologic dissociation). Most often, an upper respiratory or gastrointestinal illness typically precedes GBS.

No known cure for GBS nor protective vaccines is available, says the WHO.

The journal NPJ Vaccines recently reported that researchers have developed and characterized a novel dual-target single-shot vaccine candidate that protects against Ebola (EBOV) and Yellow Fever (YFV) infection.

Announced on July 11, 2023, the YF-EBO pre-clinical vaccine candidate could help communities combat simultaneous EBOV and YFV epidemics, such as in Africa.

While there are approved vaccines for Ebola (Ervebo®) and Yellow fever (Stamaril®) in 2023, a single combo vaccine could enhance vaccination campaigns.

EBOV is a member of the Filoviridae family that causes severe and acute systemic disease in humans, known as Ebola virus disease, with mortality rates up to 80%.

YFV is a mosquito-borne flavivirus causing severe hemorrhagic disease in humans.

Yellow fever is endemic in Central and South America, as well as sub-Saharan Africa, where EVD surges.

Despite the availability of a very efficient live-attenuated yellow fever vaccine (Stamaril), annually, an estimated 51,000–380,000 severe cases of YF still occur, resulting in 19,000–180,000 deaths.

The re-emergence of YF outbreaks can be mainly attributed to low vaccine coverage due to supply issues.

Therefore, alike for EVD, a second-generation YFV vaccine with a sustainable supply could deliver measurable benefits during dual outbreaks.

Future studies must address whether this observed cross-reactive humoral immunity is sufficient to also provide cross-protection against heterologous challenge, ideally in step-up models using original filoviruses under BSL4 conditions, wrote these researchers.