Influenza Monoclonal Antibody Progresses in Phase 2

The initial human clinical trial evaluating the role of a monoclonal antibody (mAbs) in preventing seasonal flu announced that the first participant had been dosed.

San Francisco-based Vir Biotechnology, Inc. announced that the Phase 2 PENINSULA trial evaluating VIR-2482 was designed to be a universal prophylactic against seasonal and pandemic influenza A.

And VIR-2482 has been engineered to have an extended half-life, providing the potential for protection throughout an entire flu season.

"Each year, seasonal flu is responsible for hospitalizing millions of people around the world and causing hundreds of thousands of deaths," said Phil Pang, M.D., Ph.D., EVP, chief medical officer, and interim head of research at Vir Biotechnology, in a press release on October 18, 2022.

"With current flu vaccine effectiveness rates averaging 40%, additional prevention approaches are urgently needed, especially for those at highest risk."

"VIR-2482 has been designed as a single, easy-to-administer intramuscular dose to provide immediate protection against influenza A for the duration of the flu season."

"We believe tts broad strain coverage could provide consistent, year-over-year protection against seasonal influenza A strains and future flu pandemics."

"VIR-2482 has the potential to fill a critical gap in the prevention of illness, and we look forward to learning more from this new Phase 2 trial."

Vir Bio also recently initiated a Phase 1b prophylaxis trial evaluating the safety of VIR-2482 in elderly participants (age 65+) receiving a flu vaccine.

This population is representative of the Company's anticipated Phase 3 trial population. Initial data from that trial are expected in mid-2023.

Additional VIR-2482 news is posted at the PrecisionVaccations link.

For the 2022-2023 flu season in the U.S., three flu vaccines are preferentially recommended for people 65 years and older by the U.S. CDC.

These are the Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine, Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine, and Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine.

The latest flu shot news is posted at this link.