5 October 2018 - - US-based biotechnology company Vaxart, Inc will present new data from the Phase 2 Challenge Study of its H1 influenza oral tablet vaccine at IDWeek 2018 in San Francisco on Saturday, October 6, 2018, the company said.

Vaxart previously reported only 37% of study participants receiving the Vaxart vaccine developed influenza infection after challenge, compared to 44% of those receiving Fluzone and 71% of those receiving placebo.

The new Phase 2 data to be presented at IDWeek 2018 showed that the Vaxart vaccine generated a strong increase in mucosal homing antibody secreting cells, or β7+ plasmablasts.

In protected study participants, the percentage of β7+ plasmablasts in recipients of the Vaxart vaccine nearly doubled, whereas the percentage of β7+plasmablasts in Fluzone recipients remained unchanged.

The Phase 2 study was completed with support from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

Vaxart received a USD 13.9m contract from BARDA in September 2015 to support the advanced development of more effective influenza vaccines to ultimately improve seasonal and pandemic influenza preparedness.

The contract was increased to USD 15.7m in 2017.

This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant secretary for Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority under Contract No. HHSO100201500034C.

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times, can lead to death.

While the impact of flu varies, it places a substantial burden on the health of people in the United States.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9.2m and 60.8m illnesses, between 140,000 and 710,000 hospitalisations and between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths annually since 2010.

Vaxart is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing oral recombinant protein vaccines based on its proprietary oral vaccine platform.

The company's vaccines are designed to generate broad and durable immune responses that protect against a wide range of infectious diseases and may also be useful for the treatment of chronic viral infections and cancer.

Vaxart's vaccines are administered using a convenient room temperature-stable tablet, rather than by injection.

The company's development programs include oral tablet vaccines that are designed to protect against norovirus, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus.