Vaxart Inc. is pioneering a transformative approach to vaccination through its development of oral vaccine pills, which represent a significant shift from traditional intramuscular injection methods that have been in use for over two centuries. These innovative vaccine pills are designed to target pathogens at their entry points into the body, specifically the mucosal areas such as the mouth, nose, and gut. By eliciting strong immune responses, particularly IgA and T-cell responses, Vaxart's oral vaccines aim to provide robust protection against various viral infections. The company is currently advancing its oral vaccine candidates through clinical trials, including a Phase II trial for COVID-19 and norovirus, making it the first in the world to reach this stage with an oral COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaxart's pipeline includes a range of oral recombinant vaccines aimed at addressing prevalent viral infections, such as COVID-19, norovirus, influenza, and human papillomavirus (HPV). The oral COVID-19 vaccine is particularly noteworthy, as it promises to be room temperature-stable, facilitating easier distribution and access globally. Additionally, Vaxart's norovirus vaccine has shown promising results in Phase 1 studies, demonstrating strong immune responses and safety. The company has also completed Phase 1 trials for influenza vaccines, indicating their potential effectiveness against various strains. Overall, Vaxart's mission is to enhance public health by developing vaccines that are not only effective but also more convenient and cost-efficient to administer.

United States

For two hundred years vaccines have been administered by intramuscular injection.  Vaxart’s oral vaccine pills may change everything.

Our vaccine pills act differently, by attacking invading pathogens in the places where they first enter the body:  the mucosal areas, including the mouth, the nose and the gut.  They are designed to  trigger strong IgA and T-cell responses to repel and overwhelm the invading viral invaders.

Vaxart has begun Phase II trials of its oral vaccine for Covid and for Norovirus– the only company in the world to reach this stage with a COVID-19 vaccine pill.

Infectious Diseases

Vaxart Inc.

Infectious disease

Norovirus

Vaxart’s VP1- based bivalent oral tablet vaccine candidate targets the norovirus GI.1 Norwalk and GII.4 Sydney strains, which are the predominant strains affecting humans. Vaxart’s oral tablet vaccine candidate is designed to produce antibodies against norovirus locally in the intestine.

Oral Bivalent Norovirus Vaccine 

COVID-19

Our COVID vaccine platform is a replication-defective adenovirus type-5 vectored vaccine that expresses antigen along with a novel toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist as an adjuvant. These vaccines have been well tolerated, and able to generate robust humoral and cellular immune responses to the expressed antigens.
More specifically, Vaxart developed VXA-CoV2-1 using its proprietary technology called VAASTTM (Vector-AdjuvantAntigen Standardized Technology), a platform that can be leveraged to develop vaccines for a range of diseases. The adenovirus type 5 virus (Ad5) delivery platform lies at the core of the technology. Ad5 is non-infectious and is used as a carrier for two critical components of the vaccine: the genes coding for “the antigen” and the “adjuvant.” The antigen is a part of the target virus known to stimulate a protective immune response, specifically the SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Nucleocapsid proteins, and the adjuvant is a molecule that acts to boost the immune response, specifically a TLR3 immune stimulator.&nbsp;
VXA-CoV2-1 is formulated into a tablet taken by mouth that delivers the antigen and adjuvant genes to the lining of the small intestine, known as the mucosa. When the vaccine encounters The three components of VXA-CoV2-1 \\DE - 769349/000001 - 3599984 v1 the immune cells of the gastrointestinal mucosa, they are stimulated to produce an immune response against SARS-CoV-2. The antigen in VXA-CoV2 is composed of the genes coding for both the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and the nucleocapsid (N) protein. Whereas the S protein is a common target for COVID19 vaccines currently in use and in development, VXA-CoV2-1 is one of the first COVID-19 vaccine candidates that contains genes for both proteins.2 &nbsp;This is key because the S protein has been prone to mutations over time, which may render vaccines targeting only this protein less effective. The N protein is largely conserved between emerging strains of the virus and may provide a long-term target for vaccine developers trying to broaden the responses against all strains of VXA-CoV-2-1. <a href="https://investors.vaxart.com/static-files/560116e8-db25-42df-865e-0ed57b8d129a">SOURCE</a>

VXA-CoV2-1 oral pill

Influenza

Vaxart’s VAAST™ delivery platform employs a modular approach using a replication-incompetent adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) vector that delivers two payloads to the cells of the mucosal epithelium of the small bowel. One payload is the gene coding for the selected pathogen-specific protein antigen. The other payload, which is always co-delivered, is the gene coding for the Toll Like Receptor-3 (TLR-3) agonist, an adjuvant that activates the innate immune system, and was selected for its ability to stimulate broad immune responses. Every vaccine contains the TLR-3 adjuvant component.

Vaxart Inc.

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