Text/Robert Hart
Image source: Visual China
Synopsis:
U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotech company BioNTech announced Wednesday that they will join forces to develop an mRNA vaccine against shingles. Previously, as vaccine manufacturers scrambled to invest in new proven mRNA technologies, they had success in jointly developing COVID-19 vaccines.
Key facts:
If successful, the vaccine could become the first mRNA vaccine to prevent shingles. Shingles is a painful disease that usually occurs in older people when the virus that causes chickenpox is reactivated after years of dormancy in the human body.
The two companies said they expect to begin clinical trials of the vaccine in the second half of 2022.
The vaccine will combine BioNTech's mRNA technology (used in a COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by the two companies) and Pfizer's antigen research (used to train the immune system).
As part of the deal, BioNTech will receive $150 million in upfront equity investments and $75 million in upfront payments from Pfizer, in addition to up to $200 million in milestone payments and a portion of profits from future sales, the companies said.
Pfizer will receive a $25 million antigen work advance from BioNTech.
Surprising facts:
This is BioNTech's third collaboration with Pfizer. While best known for their COVID-19 vaccine, the two companies began collaborating on an mRNA flu vaccine in 2018.
Key Background:
While there is currently a herpes zoster vaccine on the market, Pfizer and BioNTech say mRNA technology offers "the opportunity to develop an improved vaccine" that could also be produced more efficiently. They're not the only vaccine manufacturers seeing the potential of the technology — this has been confirmed during the COVID-19 pandemic after decades of research (Moderna's vaccine is also based on mRNA) — and giants like Sanofi and GSK have invested heavily in this area. mRNA technology has the potential for faster and more flexible vaccine production. While most vaccines work by weakening or inactivating a portion of the disease-causing organism into the body to trigger an immune response — which can be an expensive, lengthy, and onerous development process — mRNA vaccines introduce genetic material that instructs cells in the body to make proteins that trigger the immune system so that the organism does not need to be cultured, and the vaccine can be easily edited if needed.
Important citations:
Mikael Dolsten, chief scientific officer at Pfizer, said the agreement means the two companies will continue to "share a journey of discovery, supported by our world-class manufacturing network, to address another health challenge that is ripe for scientific innovation by advancing mRNA technology." ”
Translated by Stephen