Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) announced today new data from a clinical study that began in May of 2009 among healthy adults 18 to 49 years of age with Novavax's trivalent seasonal influenza Virus-like Particle (VLP) vaccine. The vaccine matched the influenza strains recommended for the 2008-2009 influenza season including H1N1 A/Brisbane/59/2007, H3N2 A/Brisbane/10/2007, and B/Florida/04/2006 strains. The study enrolled 241 subjects, including 221 who were randomized to receive either VLP vaccine at 15 mcg or 60 mcg doses or a placebo and 20 subjects who received a licensed inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV).
Novavax reported safety and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody titers from this study in a poster presentation at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). In addition to the HAI titers, functional antibody against the Neuraminidase enzyme was measured in the sera of immunized subjects using a neuraminidase inhibition assay (NAI) developed by Novavax scientists. Inhibition of neuraminidase activity may be important in reducing the spread of influenza virus down the respiratory tract and severe influenza disease. Since neuraminidase mutates less rapidly than hemagglutinin(HA), the antibody against neuraminidase may be more effective in protecting against drifted seasonal strains or new, emerging strains of influenza virus.