Vaccine News

A recent analysis of data from a nationwide health survey reveals "concerning" disparities in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among adults. 

More than 84% of the 9,440 people aged 27 to 45 years involved in a national sample published by the journal Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics on March 27, 2024, had yet to receive a cancer-prevention HPV vaccine.

The lowest vaccine uptake was observed among men, people of Hispanic heritage, and those with lower educational levels. 

Specifically, women had over three times greater odds (aOR = 3.58; 95% CI 3.03, 4.23) of HPV vaccine uptake than men.

Dr. Osazuwa-Peters, who led a team of specialists from institutions, commented in a press release on March 28, 2024, "For oropharyngeal cancer, about 75% of new cases are in males."

"As oral HPV is the primary cause of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer, providing the HPV vaccine to middle-aged individuals is undoubtedly an essential strategy for decreasing the risk of infection, persistence, and eventual HPV-associated oropharyngeal malignancy.  
 
"While the population benefit of the HPV vaccines in preventing oropharyngeal cancer may not be realized until years later, there are ongoing clinical trials to establish that the current vaccines are effective in the prevention of oral HPV infection."  

HPV is a common sexually transmitted virus that can cause cancers later in life, such as cervical, oropharyngeal, anal, penile, vaginal, and vulvar. 

Various HPV vaccines are approved and available worldwide in 2024.

Measles outbreaks are an ongoing health risk worldwide, including in the United Kingdom (U.K.).

The U.K.'s health agency recently confirmed a significant increase in measles cases across England, primarily in the West Midlands, driven by cases in Birmingham.

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported data from October 2023: 868 laboratory-confirmed measles cases had been reported in England as of March 28, 2024.

There were 182 newly confirmed measles cases with a date of onset in the past four weeks (since February 26).

The highest number of cases continue to be reported from the West Midlands (34%), followed by London (33%), North West (10%), East Midlands (8%), and East of England (6%).

Dr. Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA Consultant Epidemiologist, commented in a UKHSA press statement, "We are continuing to see measles cases in the West Midlands, with numbers in London increasing in recent weeks and smaller clusters in other regions."

"This serves as a reminder of the importance of MMR vaccination."

"It only takes one case to get into a community with low vaccination rates for measles to spread rapidly, especially in schools and nurseries. We know that hundreds of thousands of children around the country, particularly in some inner-city areas, are still not fully vaccinated and are at risk of serious illness or life-long complications."

"Still, measles is completely preventable with vaccination."

On March 22, 2024, the U.S. CDC updated its global measles travel advisory, listing 49 countries. Measles spreads rapidly and may become a risk to travelers in places not included on the list above.

However, the U.K. was not included on this CDC list.

As of April 1, 2024, the CDC recommends all travelers are fully vaccinated against measles when traveling to any international destination.

Brazil's health officials are concerned about an unprecedented number of dengue cases reported in early 2024—more than one million. Traditionally, Brazil's dengue cases peak between March and May.

As reported by the AP, Brazil declared public health emergencies in Acre, Minas Gerais, Goias, and the Federal District in February 2024 to increase awareness.

According to the Municipal Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro, the "Against Dengue Every Day" campaign included the distribution of repellents, stickers, bandanas, and hats with warnings about the mosquito-transmitted disease.

Rio is a very popular vacation destination for events such as Carnival, receiving about 2 million foreign tourists.

The AP also reported that a section of Rio deployed the Wolbachia technique, also known as the Incompatible Insect Technique, and is seeing initial, positive results.

This biological method uses Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to reduce the number of mosquitoes that spread vector-borne diseases. This method has been tested in the United States since 2016, initially in Miami, Florida.

In addition to genetically modifying local mosquitoes, Brazil has been offering dengue vaccinations.

Brazil became the first Latin American country to include the second-generation QDENGA® (TAK-003) vaccine in its public health system. The government plans to administer over 5 million doses in 2024.

This dengue vaccine does not require pre-admission testing.

To expand access, Biological E. Limited committed in February 2024 to manufacturing up to 50 million QDENGA doses annually, accelerating the vaccine's owner Takeda's ability to deliver 100 million doses annually by 2030.

As of March 30, 2024, QDENGA is unavailable in the United States.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. today announced that it has entered into an exclusive partnership with Sanofi Healthcare India Private Limited to promote and distribute its vaccine brands across private markets in India.

Under the arrangement confirmed on March 27, 2024, Dr. Reddy's will have exclusive rights to promote and distribute Sanofi's well-established and trusted pediatric and adult vaccine brands Hexaxim®, Pentaxim®, Tetraxim®, Menactra®, FluQuadri®, Adacel®, and Avaxim® 80U.

Sanofi will continue to own, manufacture, and import these brands into India.

These brands saw combined sales of approximately $51 million as of February 2024.

M.V. Ramana, Chief Executive Officer, Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets), Dr. Reddy's, commented in a press release, "We are happy to have the opportunity to leverage our strengths in promotion and distribution to considerably expand engagement with healthcare professionals and help widen access of Sanofi's well-established and trusted vaccine brands in India."

"The portfolio now gives Dr. Reddy's a strong presence in the vaccine segment, propelling us to the second position among vaccine players in India. Through each product and partnership, we aim to serve over 1.5 billion patients by 2030."

Dr. Reddy's was established in 1984 and has become a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Hyderabad, India.

The U.S. CDC recommends visiting your healthcare provider at least a month before visiting India to get any vaccines or medicines you may need.

Additionally, the CDC included India in its recent Global Measles travel advisory.

In 2016, the Philippine Department of Health implemented a dengue vaccination program with a first-generation dengue virus (DENV) vaccine, which was discontinued because of safety concerns. 

A recent study assessed the relative risk of developing virologically confirmed dengue among children who did or did not receive a single dose of the Dengvaxia® (CYD-TDV) vaccine by previous DENV infections at baseline classified as none, one, and two or more infections.

This study published by The Lancet Infectious Diseases on March 22, 2024, concluded that a single dose of the Dengvaxia vaccine was ineffective in protecting against DENV among patients who had no prior history of infection or had only one prior infection.

One dose conferred significant protection against hospital admission for virologically confirmed dengue among participants who had two or more previous DENV infections at baseline during the first three years (70%, 95% CI 20–88; p=0·017) and the entire follow-up period (67%, 19–87; p=0·016).

However, young patients exposed to two or more prior DENV infections showed a significant decrease in the risk of DENV infection after receiving the first Dengvaxia dose. This protection continued for up to three years after the vaccination.

Since the study assessed the effect of only a single dose, this study's findings cannot inform public health officers' decisions on vaccination. However, the findings have implications for children who receive an incomplete vaccination regimen, and should prompt more detailed analyses in future trials on dengue vaccines.

Dengue outbreaks are a global health problem in 2024.

As of March 2024, the CDC has reported over two million dengue cases worldwide, with over 500 deaths. The U.S. CDC has issued a global alert regarding dengue outbreaks in various countries.

A person infected via a mosquito bite will have no symptoms or show clinical manifestations ranging from dengue fever, a mild flu-like syndrome, to dengue shock syndrome, a life-threatening condition.

The CDC recommends speaking with a healthcare provider before visiting dengue-endemic areas like Puerto Rico to discuss vaccination and treatment options.

Defence Therapeutics Inc. today announced the successful testing of a second-generation anti-cancer vaccine, ARM-002TM, using its lead anti-cancer molecule AccuTOX®.

When tested as a therapeutic vaccine in a melanoma cancer model, ARM-002TM led to an 80% complete response when combined with the anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor.

The ARM-002TM vaccine was tested in vivo in the context of melanoma.

"AccuTOX® is an amazing molecule! AccuTOX® has the capacity to trigger cancer cell death when used as a direct cancer injectable, and AccuTOX®, the same molecule, converts mesenchymal stromal cells into potent antigen-presenting cells capable of priming potent anti-tumoral responses using 10-fold lower antigen preparation," commented Mr. Sébastien Plouffe, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Defence Therapeutics, in a media statement on March 26, 2024.

Vaccination can stimulate specific immune responses capable of potentially curing established tumors compared to current anti-cancer strategies.

In addition, developed immune cells can lead to a long-lasting memory response capable of further protecting the patient from subsequent cancer relapses, says the company.

According to Data Bridge Market Research, this vaccine segment is expected to reach revenues of about $900 billion by 2029.

Osivax, a biopharmaceutical company, today announced that all participants have completed their final visit in the Phase 2a clinical trial (NCT05734040) evaluating OVX836, a broad-spectrum influenza A vaccine candidate, in combination with Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccines (QIVs).

Topline results from this study are expected in the second half of 2024. OVX836 has been tested in 5 clinical trials with 1,200 participants, showing promising safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy read-outs. 

OVX836 is a first-in-class influenza A vaccine candidate that targets the nucleoprotein (NP), a highly conserved internal antigen.

Unlike surface antigens, the NP is much less likely to mutate, providing a broader and more universal immune response.

Osivax’s oligoDOMTM technology enables the design and production of a recombinant version of the NP, which self-assembles into a nanoparticle and thus triggers powerful T- and B-cell immune responses.

“The need for more effective and safe flu vaccines remains high, and the conclusion of our trial, which evaluates OVX836 in combination with QIVs, brings us one step closer to providing improved protection,” said Alexandre Le Vert, CEO and Co-Founder of Osivax, in a press release on March 26, 2024.

According to various reports, most flu shots offered about 50% protection during the 2023-2024 influenza season in the U.S.