Vaccine News

Pfizer Canada ULC and BioNTech SE announced today that Health Canada has authorized the KP.2 variant-adapted COMIRNATY® COVID-19 vaccine for people six months and older. 

As of September 24, 2024, the newly formulated vaccine will be available nationwide in pharmacies and vaccination centers in the fall of 2024. Each province and territory will have its pathway for accessing the vaccine, and individuals are encouraged to refer to their provincial/territorial authorities for more information.

The adapted COVID-19 vaccine will be available in Canada as a single dose for individuals five years and older, regardless of prior COVID-19 vaccination history.

For children six months through 4 years of age, COMIRNATY® is authorized for administration as a three-dose series in those without a history of completion of a COVID-19 primary vaccination course or as a single dose for those with a history of completion of a COVID-19 primary vaccination course.

Health Canada posts a summary of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths across Canada as of September 24, 2024.

Once the Zika fever outbreak subsided in 2015, many public health agencies refocused on chikungunya and dengue outbreaks.

However, continued Zika outbreaks in the Region of the Americas have demonstrated how a relatively obscure mosquito-borne disease can become a persistent health risk.

As of September 24, 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported 36,331 Zika cases this year.

While most people infected with Zika will recover, many infants have been severely impacted by microcephaly. Researchers revealed over 200 microcephaly cases in Brazil.

The PAHO says pregnant women should avoid visiting Zika-endemic countries such as Brazil.

In the United States, the San Juan, Puerto Rico Department of Health says Zika will continue to infect people. As of September 2024, 16 Zika cases have been reported in Puerto Rico.

As of 2024, no approved Zika vaccines exist, but vaccine candidates are conducting clinical research. Valneva SE's second-generation VLA1601 vaccine launched a phase 1 study, with results expected in 2025.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued Health Alert Network Health Update (CDCHAN-00516) to provide additional information about the ongoing outbreak of clade I monkeypox virus (MPXV), the virus that causes mpox.

As of September 23, 2024, no cases of clade I mpox have been identified in the U.S.

This mpox strain is more severe than the clade 2 strain circulating in the U.S. since May 2022.

The CDC urges travelers to vaccinate against mpox if they are heading to Eastern and Central African countries where clade 1 MPXV has been spreading.

Furthermore, healthcare providers and travel vaccine experts should recommend vaccination to those whose activities place them at risk.

This is essential advice since clade 1 mpox cases have recently been confirmed in international travelers.

For example, The Mint reported a man from Malappuram district in Kerala, India, has been detected with Mpox clad I. The patient had returned from the United Arab Emirates.

According to the CDC, two doses of JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN®, IMVAMUNE®, IMVANEX®) should be given at least six weeks before traveling abroad. This U.S. FDA-approved vaccine is available at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

Vicebio Ltd. today announced a $100 million Series B financing led by TCGX and others. Vicebio is developing next-generation vaccines for respiratory viruses utilizing its proprietary Molecular Clamp technology, which was discovered at the University of Queensland (UQ).

The Molecular Clamp technology applies to a wide range of viruses, including Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV), Parainfluenza virus, Influenza, and Coronaviruses, as confirmed by promising preclinical and clinical studies.

Vicebio has recently initiated a Phase I clinical trial with VXB-241, its bivalent vaccine targeting RSV and hMPV. Initial clinical readouts of the Phase 1 study are expected to launch in mid-2025.

This financing will also support the acceleration and expansion further development of Vicebio’s multivalent pipeline, including VXB-251, a trivalent vaccine targeting RSV, hMPV, and Parainfluenza Virus 3, a further valency that addresses a significant remaining medical burden in the elderly.

Cariad Chester, Managing Partner at TCGX, said in a September 23, 2024, press release, “Vicebio has a unique capability to advance vaccine products that simultaneously provide robust immune responses against multiple respiratory pathogens. We look forward to working closely with the team to bring these important vaccines to the market.”

Prof. Paul Young, Daniel Watterson, and Keith Chappell at UQ developed the Molecular Clamp proprietary technology.

The peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases recently published interim results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial in adolescents of the U.S. FDA-approved, single-dose IXCHIQ® (VLA1553) chikungunya vaccine.

In an article published on September 4, 2024, these researchers concluded that VLA1553 was generally safe and induced seroprotective titers in almost all vaccinated adolescents, with favorable safety data in seropositive adolescents at baseline.

VLA1553 induced seroprotective chikungunya virus neutralizing antibody levels in 247 of 250 (98.8%, 95% CI 96·5–99·8) participants 28 days after vaccination.

This data supports using VLA1553 to prevent diseases caused by the chikungunya virus among adolescents and in endemic areas in the Region of the Americas.

As of September 22, 2024, the Pan American Health Organization reported 390,669 CHIKV cases. Specifically, Brazil has confirmed 170 related deaths this year.

If you are traveling to an area at risk for chikungunya, the U.S. CDC suggests discussing vaccination options with your healthcare provider at least one month before departing abroad.

The Minnesota Department of Health recently affirmed the greater Twin Cities area is experiencing an ongoing outbreak of measles cases, with the virus spreading mainly among unvaccinated children.

The Minneapolis—St. Paul's measles outbreak began in May 2024, and as of September 19, 2024, 51 cases had been confirmed.

Earlier this year, Chicago, Illinois, reported a more significant measles outbreak that impacted 64 people.

Overall, the U.S. CDC has reported 262 measles cases in 32 jurisdictions in 2024.

From a global health-risk perspective, the CDC has issued travel advisories for over 50 countries this year.

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. Vaccination is generally recommended for most people, and various vaccines are available at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced it approved the nasal influenza vaccine FluMist® for self- or caregiver-administration by adults. This innovative flu shot is sprayed into the nose and has been used safely and effectively for many years.

It is the first influenza vaccine that does not need to be administered by a healthcare provider. 

FluMist has been FDA-approved for preventing influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B in individuals 2 through 49 years of age for two decades. It was initially approved by the FDA in 2003. In 2007, the FDA approved using FluMist to include children 2 through 5.

Iskra Reic, Executive Vice President of Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, said in a press release, “The approval of FluMist for self-administration is an important step forward in making vaccines more accessible to fight the high annual burden of influenza."

The vaccine may be administered by a health care provider in a health care setting (including a pharmacy) or by the vaccine recipient or a caregiver who is 18 years of age or older. Vaccine recipients and caregivers who administer FluMist will receive the vaccine, the Prescribing Information, Information for Patients and their Caregivers, and Instructions for Use. 

“Today’s approval of the first influenza vaccine for self- or caregiver administration provides a new option for receiving a safe and effective seasonal influenza vaccine potentially with greater convenience, flexibility, and accessibility for individuals and families,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a press release on September 20, 2024.

FluMist remains available at various clinics and pharmacies for the 2024-2025 flu season.

AstraZeneca markets FluMist® under the Fluenz® Tetra brand internationally.