Vaxart reported positive top-line data from the first part of a planned two-part Phase II study of its Wuhan S-only oral pill COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VXA-CoV2-1.1-S. The data demonstrate that the trial met its primary safety and secondary immunogenicity endpoints and will inform ongoing development of new Omicron-based vaccine constructs.
Serum neutralizing antibodies rose after oral vaccination, and the increases were particularly notable in subjects who had previously received an mRNA vaccine. Additionally, all subjects who had a mucosal immune response to the Wuhan-based vaccine had mucosal immune responses that cross-reacted with the Omicron variants, including BA 4/5, as well as other coronaviruses. Vaxart is the first company to advance an oral pill COVID-19 vaccine to Phase II clinical development.