CPI Partners with ImmunoBiology for Heat-Stabilized Formulation of Pneumococcal Vaccine

CPI has partnered with ImmunoBiology (ImmBio) for the development of a heat-stabilized formulation of a mutli-antigen vaccine candidate against Pneumococcal diseases, it was announced in a Nov. 28, 2019 press release.

Work will initially be performed by CPI on evaluating ImmBio’s current multi-antigen vaccine candidate, PnuBioVax, formulation, prior to refinement of an optimal formulation that will provide stability between 2–8 °C and higher. With heat stabilization, there will be elimination of the need for complex cold chain for the vaccine, which will reduce the cost of the vaccine and increase accessibility for low and middle income countries.

“The cold chain contributes to the high cost of biologics and there is a risk that sensitive vaccines may be wasted due to environmental shocks,” said Enrique Tabares, CEO, ImmunoBiology, in the press release. “We are therefore delighted to be working with CPI on the development of a heat-stabilized PnuBioVax formulation. This will be a fantastic step towards improving the accessibility of this exciting vaccine.”

Lucy Foley, director of Biologics at CPI, added, “PnuBioVax has the potential to provide broad protection against very serious pneumococcal diseases and we are excited to be applying our biopharmaceutical expertise in order to help optimize the vaccine’s formulation. By leveraging our knowledge and experience in the development and production of biopharmaceuticals, we aim to significantly improve the vaccine’s transport and storage costs and also improve accessibility.”

Source: CPI