CureVac's Seasonal Flu Vaccine Shows Positive Phase 2 Results with GSK

CureVac, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in mRNA technology, has reported interim data from its Phase 2 study of a seasonal influenza vaccine candidate. The vaccine, developed in partnership with GSK, is designed to cover a broad range of antigens, encoding for all four flu strains recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The interim analysis revealed that the vaccine candidate, utilizing CureVac's second-generation mRNA backbone, successfully boosted antibody levels against all targeted flu strains across various age groups and dosages, even at the lowest tested dose. The vaccine demonstrated an acceptable safety profile, with most adverse events classified as mild or moderate within a week of administration.

In both younger and older adults, the vaccine candidate showed a numerical advantage in geometric mean titers for influenza A strains compared to licensed vaccines. However, for influenza B strains, the geometric mean titers were lower than those of existing vaccines. CureVac plans to conduct further optimizations to enhance the immune response against influenza B strains in an additional Phase 2 study.

Dr. Myriam Mendila, CureVac's Chief Development Officer, expressed confidence in the mRNA technology platform's effectiveness and adaptability, noting strong results for influenza A strains and expected outcomes for B strains, which are historically more challenging. The ongoing Phase 2 study is evaluating the vaccine's reactogenicity, safety, and immunogenicity across different dosages for both younger and older adults, with comparisons made to age-appropriate licensed comparator vaccines.

CureVac, with over two decades of experience in mRNA technology, has built a robust clinical pipeline in areas such as prophylactic vaccines, cancer therapies, antibody therapies, and treatments for rare diseases. The company's headquarters are in Tübingen, Germany, and it employs over 1,100 people across various sites in Europe and the U.S.

The company's collaboration with GSK, initiated in July 2020, focuses on the development of new prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases using CureVac's mRNA technology. This partnership has since been expanded to include the development of second-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidates and modified mRNA vaccine technologies.