Blue Water Vaccines said that it intends to develop its BWV-201 intranasal Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine candidate for the prevention of non-invasive pneumococcal pneumonia. The company is already developing the live attenuated intranasal vaccine, which it licensed from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for the prevention of acute otitis media in children.
According to the press release, “By administering the modified live bacteria intranasally, BWV-201 is designed to elicit a strong mucosal immune response, regardless of capsular polysaccharide serotype.” The company notes that the additional focus on pneumonia is based on new research from St. Jude’s showing that the vaccine may provide protection against S. pneumoniae lung infections in addition to protecting against ear infections.
Blue Water Chairman and CEO Joseph Hernandez commented, “While current pneumococcal vaccines have demonstrated excellent efficacy against invasive pneumococcal disease historically, pneumococcal pneumonia remains a significant unmet medical need. With this new data, we believe our vaccine can provide protection across all Streptococcus pneumoniae strains and eliminate the need for antibiotic treatment associated with pneumococcal pneumonia. We are excited to further develop BWV-201 for this new indication and look forward to addressing this need.”
Read the Blue Water Vaccines press release.
