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Measles vaccines currently on the market are not optimal for use in children less than one year of age, a period during which most infections result in a high morbidity and mortality. Significant reductions in childhood mortality could be achieved if safer and efficacious vaccines could be developed for use in this susceptible age group.
Bavarian Nordic’s approach
Bavarian Nordic’s goal is to develop an improved measles vaccine suitable for children under one year old, a vaccine based on MVA-BN® expressing three measles virus antigens.
Preclinical studies have revealed that MVA-BN® is not only safe, but also immunogenic in newborn animals. The measles vaccine candidate will be the first MVA-BN®-based childhood vaccine to evaluate the potential of this technology to induce good immune responses in children under one year old.
Clinical development
In 2007, Bavarian Nordic initiated a Phase I study in South Africa. The study will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine in 30 healthy adult subjects before evaluating the vaccine in children in the second half of 2008.
Due to the accelerated development of the measles vaccine to clinical studies in children, the Phase I study for the RSV vaccine has now been postponed, with an anticipated start of a Phase I study in 2009, after the measles vaccine has been shown to be safe and immunogenic in this target population.
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