Medicago Readies H7N9 Vaccine Candidate

By Jeremy Summers, NCBiotech Writer

Medicago, which is developing vaccines from tobacco plants using virus-like particles (VLP), has successfully produced a VLP vaccine candidate for the H7N9 virus, a new bird flu strain killing increasing numbers of people in China.

The Canadian biopharmaceutical firm, which has its U.S. manufacturing headquarters in Durham, has demonstrated to federal officials that it can produce 10 million doses of flu vaccine a month with its unique platform technology.

Medicago's vaccine-producing facility in Durham.

The Chinese outbreak has resulted in 130 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with the new avian influenza A (H7N9) virus, including 31 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

"To our knowledge, Medicago is the first to produce a VLP vaccine candidate against this potential pandemic strain demonstrating our ability to be a first responder in a pandemic scenario," said Andy Sheldon, president and CEO of Medicago. "Current influenza egg-based vaccine manufacturers can take up to six months to produce a vaccine for any new strain. We have proven once again that we can cut this development time drastically. This, combined with our vaccine production capacity at our pilot facility in Canada and our commercial facility in North Carolina and our best-in-class efficacy results for our H5N1 vaccine, strongly positions Medicago as a key player in addressing a potential  pandemic."

Unlike manufacturing methods that produce traditional egg-based vaccines, Medicago’s method only requires the genetic sequence of the viral strain, dramatically limiting potential delays from the time the virus is identified and sequenced to the time vaccine can be manufactured, tested and shipped. Medicago's H7 VLP is currently being purified for testing in animals to see if it causes the desired immune response.

Medicago’s current pipeline includes a number of Phase II pandemic readiness clinical trials for pandemic influenza vaccines, with interim data expected this summer. The company is also developing a rabies vaccine and partnering with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma under a strategic alliance that will include two additional vaccine candidates.

In addition to vaccines, Medicago is also conducting research and development in the area of biosimilar products.