By Mariam Sunny (Reuters) -Dynavax Technologies said on Thursday its experimental shingles vaccine generated a similar immune response as GSK’s blockbuster shot Shingrix, while showing a better safety profile, in an early-to-mid-stage study. Shares of Dynavax rose over 7% to $11.18. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a viral infection characterized by painful rashes that could […]
Health
Dynavax’s shingles vaccine shows similar immune response to GSK’s shot in study
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By Mariam Sunny
(Reuters) -Dynavax Technologies said on Thursday its experimental shingles vaccine generated a similar immune response as GSK’s blockbuster shot Shingrix, while showing a better safety profile, in an early-to-mid-stage study.
Shares of Dynavax rose over 7% to $11.18.
Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a viral infection characterized by painful rashes that could lead to serious complications such as long-term nerve pain and vision loss.
The disease, which is caused by the chickenpox virus varicella-zoster, affects about 1 million Americans each year, according to government data.
The data “more than met expectations” to further develop the vaccine, Evercore ISI analyst Jonathan Miller said, adding that the safety benefit “looks quite meaningful”.
The early data was from two variants of its candidate, Z-1018, tested in 92 people aged 50 through 69 years. All subjects injected with either of the vaccine variants showed a similar immune response to those given Shingrix, one month after the second dose.
The difference between the two vaccines is the adjuvant, or the ingredient used to create a stronger immune response, Dynavax CEO Ryan Spencer told Reuters.
“I think what that technical difference should drive (at) … is comparable immune responses and ultimately efficacy with a greatly improved tolerability profile,” Spencer added.
All participants who received Z-1018 showed a measurable antibody response, compared with 96.9% of participants who received Shingrix, Dynavax said.
Meanwhile, 12.5% of people injected with the experimental candidate had post-injection reactions such as swelling and redness, lower than the 52.6% people who took GSK’s shot. No safety concerns have been identified in the study, the company said.
The safety and tolerability of vaccines can influence preferences among healthy recipients.
GSK did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the data from the head-to-head trial.
Dynavax said it plans to begin the second part of the trial with one of the doses by the second half of the year in adults 70 years and older.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Mohammed Safi Shamsi)