BioSante’s vaccine adjuvant, BioVantTM, increases the protective effect of vaccines for multiple flu strains
BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPAX) announced today’s presentation of H1N1 vaccine results at the Immunotherapeutics & Vaccine Summit in Providence, RI. BioSante’s vaccine adjuvant, BioVantTM, increased the protective effect of vaccines for multiple flu strains, including a potential new vaccine against H1N1 (swine flu), which resulted in 100 percent protection from symptoms of illness, including weight loss, and death in animal studies.
The BioSante presentation, “BioVant Calcium Phosphate (CaP) Nanoparticles: An Effective & Safe Adjuvant for Influenza Vaccines including H1N1 and H5N1,” showed that BioVant-adjuvant effectively enhanced the natural immune response to the swine flu, using a BioVant-adjuvanted matrix protein M1 vaccine, and to H5N1 (bird flu), using a BioVant-adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine delivered via intranasal administration.
The studies concluded that swine and bird flu vaccines using BioSante’s BioVant may allow for availability of a greater number of lower-dose vaccines, due to its dose sparing characteristics, and intranasal administration could provide more convenient and wider distribution during a flu pandemic.
“The results of the BioVant-influenza studies suggest that BioVant can increase the efficacy of a potential adjuvant-enhanced H1N1 vaccine,” said Michael Snabes, BioSante’s vice president of clinical development. “The exciting prospect is that BioVant also may allow use of lower doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccines in order to stretch potentially limited vaccine supplies.”
An adjuvant is a substance that, when added to a vaccine, increases the vaccine’s effectiveness by enhancing the body’s immune response. In multiple studies, BioVant has been shown to be safe and cause minimal dose-dependent inflammation at the injection site, and has been shown both to prevent the manifestation of allergic response, and, to effectively ‘switch off’ established Th2-T-cell-associated allergic reactions and potentially to be delivered via alternative routes of administration, e.g. intranasally.
About BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
BioSante is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing products for female sexual health, menopause, contraception and male hypogonadism. BioSante’s lead products include LibiGel® (transdermal testosterone gel) in Phase III clinical development by BioSante under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) SPA (Special Protocol Assessment) for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD), and ElestrinTM (estradiol gel) developed through FDA approval by BioSante, indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, currently marketed in the U.S. Also in development are Bio-T-GelTM, a testosterone gel for male hypogonadism, and an oral contraceptive in Phase II clinical development using BioSante patented technology. The current market in the U.S. for estrogen and testosterone products is approximately $2.5 billion and for oral contraceptives approximately $3 billion. The company also is developing its calcium phosphate technology (CaP) for aesthetic medicine (BioLookTM), as a vaccine adjuvant, including for an H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine, and drug delivery.
Additional information is available online at: www.biosantepharma.com.
