To the stars!
Vaccine specialist Vaxart (VXRT reported 2Q20 earnings last week, but since its vaccine candidates are all in development, the results themselves were of little importance. More pertinent for investors were updates on the pipeline’s progress. Specifically, Vaxart’s COVID-19 oral vaccine candidate.
As the only oral vaccine to be selected for inclusion in the government’s Operation Warp Speed (OWS) program, Vaxart’s offering has shown promise in pre-clinical trials, with a Phase 1 study expected to begin sometime in 2H20.
While Vaxart’s incredible rise this year (shares are up by over 2,500%) has been solely COVID-driven, the company has other vaccines in development. These include its H1N1 influenza oral tablet vaccine, which recently progressed through a BARDA-funded Phase 2 challenge study evaluating its efficacy against Sanofi's Fluzone. This study yielded positive results.
Additionally, Vaxart has established a working relationship with vaccine leader Janssen, who will make use of Vaxart’s proprietaryVAAST platform and its R&D skills to develop immunogenic oral vaccines.