Matrivax Initiates Phase 1 Clinical Development of MVX01, a Novel Pneumococcal Vaccine Candidate

Vaccine development company Matrivax announces the start of its Phase 1 clinical study to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of its lead pneumococcal disease vaccine candidate, MVX01.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the primary bacterial cause of community-acquired pneumonia and meningitis, and a significant cause of otitis media, sinusitis, and bacteremia. Pneumococcal disease continues to be a major global public health concern causing greater than 1 million deaths worldwide annually, with a substantial proportion of fatalities among the elderly and immunocompromised, and in children populations less than 5 years old in Asian and African countries.

MVX01 is a fusion protein of two highly conserved protein antigens across Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterial serotypes: a genetically inactivated form of the virulence factor, pneumolysin toxin, and two epitopes from the cell surface protein, choline binding protein A.

“This Phase 1 study is an exciting milestone for Matrivax, and a major step forward in the development of a vaccine that has potential to be a technological breakthrough in vaccination options against pneumococcal disease,” said Enda Moran, Chief Executive Officer of Matrivax. “While there are effective vaccines currently available, they are very expensive to the end-user, and they don’t protect against all the bacterial serotypes that can cause disease. Our low-cost manufacturing platform and the prospect of a single-component, broad-coverage vaccine can translate directly into a much needed low-cost vaccine for pneumococcal disease.”

Kevin Killeen, Chief Scientific Officer of Matrivax, added, “Our preclinical data clearly demonstrate that MVX01 effectively immunizes and protects against a broad range of S. pneumoniae bacterial serotypes, including the serotypes covered by the leading commercial 20-valent conjugate vaccine. We’ve engineered the vaccine to present antigens to the vaccinee that are highly conserved across the >100 wild-type serotypes that cause pneumococcal disease. This vaccine candidate provides the real opportunity of a vaccine that can immunize against the broad spectrum of disease-causing strains. We are delighted to now start clinical development of the vaccine in human subjects with our clinical research partner, FHI Clinical.”