Parasitic Diseases

A large Phase 3 trial will evaluate whether the M72/AS01E vaccine candidate can protect adolescents and adults from pulmonary tuberculosis Clinical trial site at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, is first of up to 60 sites in seven countries The M72/AS01E vaccine candidate could be the first new TB vaccine in 100 years if proven effective CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) today announced that a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess the efficacy of the M72/AS01E tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate is now underway, with first doses given in South Africa, where TB takes a heavy toll. If shown to be well-tolerated and effective, M72/AS01E could potentially become the first vaccine to help prevent pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults, the most common form of the disease, and the first new TB vaccine in over a century. Globally, according to the World Health Organization, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2022 and 1.3 million died — over 3,500 people per day. The disease primarily affects people in low- and middle-income countries, and those at highest risk are often living in poverty, with poor living and working conditions and undernutrition. In South Africa alone, around 280,000 people are diagnosed with TB each year. "The launch of this pivotal Phase 3 trial demonstrates our commitment to harnessing the power of medical innovation to fight diseases like TB that are particularly devastating for low- and middle-income countries," said Emilio A. Emini, Ph.D., CEO of the Gates MRI. "Clinical study of the vaccine will still require years, but our incredible partners in South Africa and elsewhere who have come together for the Phase 3 study share our hope in the vaccine's potential." The Gates MRI, a nonprofit organization and subsidiary of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is sponsoring the trial, which is supported by funding from the Gates Foundation and Wellcome. The M72/AS01E vaccine candidate has been in development since the early 2000s. It was originally designed and clinically evaluated by the biopharma company GSK up to the proof-of-concept phase (Phase 2b), in partnership with Aeras and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and was funded by GSK and in part by the Gates Foundation. In 2020, GSK announced a partnership with the Gates MRI for further development of M72/AS01E. GSK continues to provide technical assistance to the Gates MRI, supplies the adjuvant component of the vaccine for the Phase 3 trial and will provide the adjuvant post licensure should the trial be successful. An adjuvant is an ingredient used in some vaccines that can help create a stronger immune response. Making vaccines accessible and affordable for communities in areas of high disease burden in the long-term is a priority for all trial partners. The Gates MRI has worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including communities around clinical trial sites, to guide the TB candidate vaccine to Phase 3. To this end, the Gates MRI, GSK, Wellcome and the Gates Foundation are working together to understand the potential demand for the vaccine and build an end-to-end plan to ensure long-term sustainable access, should the trial be successful; from supporting research and building an evidence-base for the potential impact of the vaccine and community requirements for uptake, to collaborating with multilateral, regional and country partners required to introduce the vaccine. Additionally, the trial funders are planning to establish an international advisory group comprised of representatives from all these groups to provide input on the overall program. Developing and ensuring access to global health products is a complex task. As such, global collaboration and strong partnerships are a core component of planning for future access to the candidate vaccine. "Reaching Phase 3 with an urgently needed TB vaccine candidate is an important moment for South Africans because it demonstrates that there is a strong local and global commitment to fight a disease that remains distressingly common in our communities," said Dr. Lee Fairlie, Director of Maternal and Child Health at Wits RHI at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and national principal investigator for the trial in South Africa. "South Africa also has considerable experience with TB- and vaccine-related clinical trials and a strong track record for protecting patient safety and generating high quality data essential for regulatory approvals." At full capacity, the trial will include up to 20,000 participants, including people living with HIV, at up to 60 trial sites in seven countries — South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam. Participants will receive either the investigational M72/AS01E vaccine or a placebo in what is known as a double-blind trial, meaning neither the trial participant nor the clinical investigators will know who receives vaccine or placebo. This approach is considered the gold standard for evaluating the safety and efficacy of an investigational vaccine. "After dedicating over 20 years to developing this essential candidate vaccine, we at GSK are delighted that the Phase 3 trial is underway. Developing and ensuring access to global health products is complex but our collaboration with the Gates MRI, Wellcome and the Gates Foundation exemplifies the transformative power of leveraging diverse partners' expertise to change the trajectory of challenging diseases, like TB, which place a huge burden on communities around the world," said Deborah Waterhouse, CEO, ViiV Healthcare and President, Global Health, GSK. While TB is one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases — and the leading cause of death amongst people living with HIV — the only available TB vaccine, BCG, dates back to 1921. It protects babies and young children against severe forms of TB, but it offers inadequate protection for adolescents and adults against the pulmonary form of the disease, which is primarily responsible for transmission of the TB bacterium. "If effective, M72/AS01E could reinvigorate a global fight against TB that has been weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Alemnew Dagnew, M.D., who leads development of M72/AS01E at the Gates MRI. "I am particularly excited to see this trial get underway because when I was working as a physician in Ethiopia, I saw first-hand what pulmonary TB does to communities — and a vaccine that could help prevent that from happening would be transformative." Dagnew noted that TB is both a health problem and a socioeconomic problem. He said the disease primarily affects people during their prime working years, leaving families without income and children without parents. Almost half of TB-affected households face costs higher than 20% of their household income. "We must continue to move with urgency to develop and equitably deliver innovative tools with the potential to transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of TB. The start of the Gates MRI's M72 TB vaccine candidate Phase 3 clinical trial marks a pivotal moment in the fight to end TB, which devastatingly afflicts the world's most vulnerable communities. We think this trial marks the beginning of a series of opportunities that will usher in the most promising pipeline ever of new TB tools. The Gates Foundation remains committed to supporting local and global partners to accelerate the solutions needed to save lives and reduce suffering from this preventable disease," said Trevor Mundel, President, Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Alex Pym, Director of Infectious Disease at Wellcome, said: "While it is a long journey to results, the start of this trial in South Africa brings us a critical step closer to having an effective vaccine to protect those most at risk of TB. Global collaboration with regulators, in-country decision makers and communities affected is crucial if those who need it most are to benefit from this vaccine, should the trial be successful." It is anticipated that it will take up to five years to complete the trial, followed by data analysis and then preparation for submission of data to regulatory authorities. In GSK's Phase 2b trial, M72/AS01E provided approximately 50% protection (13/1626 versus 26/1663) against progression to active pulmonary tuberculosis for three years in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected HIV-negative adults, which was unprecedented in decades of TB vaccine research. The World Health Organization estimates that over a 25-year time span, that level of protection could save 8.5 million lives, prevent 76 million new TB cases and save $41.5 billion for TB affected households. About the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute is a non-profit medical research organization dedicated to the development and effective use of novel biomedical interventions addressing substantial global health concerns, for which investment incentives are limited, including malaria, tuberculosis, enteric and diarrheal diseases, and diseases that impact maternal, newborn, and child health. For further information please visit . For more information, contact: [email protected] Logo -

Aegis Life receives a program-related investment of $4.45M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation This investment supports the continuation of the ongoing research collaboration between Aegis Life and Entos Pharmaceuticals Aegis Life is developing novel DNA-based encoded antibody therapeutics against HIV and malaria using the Entos Fusogenix PLV nucleic acid delivery technology SAN DIEGO & EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Aegis Life, Inc. (Aegis) and its parent company Entos Pharmaceuticals (Entos) announced today that Aegis Life has received a program-related investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the “foundation”). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Aegis will receive up to $4.45 million in funding through a convertible promissory note from the foundation’s Strategic Investment Fund for the purpose of developing DNA-based encoded neutralizing antibody therapies for infectious diseases using the Entos Fusogenix PLV platform. This investment follows an initial grant from the foundation to Aegis made in June 2023 to support this collaborative development project with a focus on HIV and malaria. Aegis and Entos will also commit to making any resulting neutralizing antibody therapeutics for these conditions available and accessible to those most in need, including low- and middle-income countries. “We are thrilled that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, based on promising data from our previous grant-funded work, continues to support this exciting project to develop DNA-encoded antibody therapeutics,” said John Lewis, Ph.D., CEO of Aegis. HIV and malaria persist globally and result in significant mortality worldwide. “Neutralizing antibodies are promising treatments in the fight against HIV and other serious infectious diseases and work by blocking transmission and reducing disease severity,” said Dr. Steve Chen, Chief Medical Officer at Aegis Life. “The high stability, durability, and potency pro the PLV technology makes PLV-based DNA-encoded antibodies perfectly suited for deployment in the countries bearing the brunt of these infections. We’re grateful for this latest support, which provides Aegis the opportunity to perform necessary research that could save the lives of those who are most vulnerable.” Treating viral diseases with neutralizing antibodies is an important defense because these antibodies can block infection when they bind to the virus. This approach has been highly effective when used therapeutically by infusing patients with purified neutralizing antibodies, but it is limited by low durability and high cost. To address this, Aegis and Entos are developing DNA-encoded antibodies using the Fusogenix PLV platform that can be administered through intramuscular injection. This approach enables the patient’s own cells to manufacture and secrete neutralizing antibodies, allowing for high durability at a substantially lower cost. The Fusogenix PLV is fridge-stable and can be manufactured at scale cost-effectively, making it accessible for those living in rural, remote, or infrastructure-poor regions. About Aegis Life, Inc. At Aegis Life, we develop next generation genetic vaccines and therapies for the world’s most dangerous infectious diseases. Leveraging the Fusogenix PLV platform for nucleic acid delivery, developed by parent company Entos Pharmaceuticals, this breakthrough non-viral gene delivery platform allows us to rapidly develop and advance safe and effective RNA or DNA vaccines and therapeutics. For more information, visit . About Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc. A new reality in genetic medicine lies ahead, one that will be ushered in with the advent of safe, effective, and re-dosable nucleic acid delivery technologies. Since its inception in 2016, Entos® has been dedicated to advancing next-generation genetic medicines using our proprietary Fusogenix™ PLV™ drug delivery system. The Fusogenix PLV platform is formulated with FAST™ proteins to enable the delivery of nucleic acid to target cells through direct fusion. Entos is pioneering the development of life-changing medicines for patients and has partnered with global companies, such as Eli Lilly, to accelerate and expand the impact of our platform. Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc. is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada, with its wholly owned U.S. and U.K. subsidiaries based in San Diego, California and London, United Kingdom, respectively. Entos® word mark and design logo, Fusogenix™, PLV™ and FAST™ are registered trademarks of Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, visit , or follow Entos on LinkedIn. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include statements regarding Aegis’ belief as to the mode of action and potential and benefits of the Fusogenix proteolipid vehicle platform and the mode of action and potential and benefits of the delivery of DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of HIV, influenzas, and malaria; and other statements related to anticipated developments in Aegis’ business and technologies. In any forward-looking statement in which Aegis expresses an expectation or belief as to future results, such expectations or beliefs are expressed in good faith and are believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the statement or expectation, or belief will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause Aegis’ actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the availability of funds and resources to pursue research and development projects, the efficacy of Fusogenix as a nucleic acid delivery vehicle, the efficacy of DNA-encoded monoclonal antibody therapies, the success and timely completion of preclinical studies, uncertainties related to the research and development of pharmaceuticals, uncertainties related to the regulatory process and general changes to the economic environment. We may incur expenses or delays relating to such events outside of our control, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Investors should consult with the U.S. Securities Commission for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable laws.

LONDON, March 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Virax Biolabs Group Limited (NASDAQ: VRAX) ("Virax" or the "Company"), an innovative biotechnology company focused on the detection of immune responses and diagnosis of viral diseases, announced that it received a notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq") dated March 13, 2024, notifying the Company that it is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement as set forth under NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2)(the "Minimum Bid Price Rule") for continued listing on the NASDAQ. NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share, and Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the minimum bid price requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company has a compliance period of one hundred eighty (180) calendar days, or until September 9, 2024 (the "Compliance Period"), to regain compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price requirement. If at any time during the Compliance Period, the closing bid price per share of the Company's ordinary shares is at least $1.00 for a minimum of ten (10) consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide the Company a written confirmation of compliance and the matter will be closed. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by September 9, 2024, the Company may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day grace period. The Nasdaq notification letter does not result in the immediate delisting of the Company's ordinary shares, and the shares will continue to trade uninterrupted under the symbol "VRAX." About Virax Biolabs Group Limited. Virax Biolabs Group Limited is an innovative biotechnology company focused on the detection of immune responses to and diagnosis of viral diseases. In addition to distributing an array of in-vitro diagnostic test kits, Virax Biolabs Group Limited is currently developing T cell based test technologies with the intention of providing an immunology profiling platform. T cell testing can be particularly effective in the diagnosis and therapeutics of Long COVid as well as chronic inflammation and other post viral syndromes including myalgic encephalomyelitis, Hepaitis B, Malaria, Herpes and Human Papillomavirus. For more information, please visit . Caution Concerning Forward Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future performance, including: our financial performance and projections; our growth in revenue and earnings; and our business prospects and opportunities. You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as "may," "should," "expects," "anticipates," "contemplates," "estimates," "believes," "plans," "projected," "predicts," "potential," or "hopes" or the negative of these or similar terms. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including: our ability to change the direction of the Company; our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; and the competitive environment of our business. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are only predictions. The forward-looking events discussed in this press release and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions about us. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Virax and its current plans or expectations and are subject to a number of known and unknown uncertainties, risks and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These and other important factors are described in detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Virax's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended March 31, 2023. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives might not occur. SOURCE Virax Biolabs