Safety and serum distribution of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody MAD0004J08 after intramuscular injection.

The emerging threat represented by SARS-CoV-2 variants, demands the development of therapies for better clinical management of COVID-19. MAD0004J08 is a potent Fc-engineered monoclonal antibody (mAb) able to neutralize in vitro all current SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) including the omicron variant even if with significantly reduced potency. Here we evaluated data obtained from the first 30 days of a phase 1 clinical study (EudraCT N.

A New Comprehensive Approach to Assess the Probability of Success of Development Programs Before Pivotal Trials.

The point at which clinical development programs transition from early phase to pivotal trials is a critical milestone. Substantial uncertainty about the outcome of pivotal trials may remain even after seeing positive early phase data, and companies may need to make difficult prioritization decisions for their portfolio. The probability of success (PoS) of a program, a single number expressed as a percentage reflecting the multitude of risks that may influence the final program outcome, is a key decision-making tool.

Challenges in early clinical development of adjuvanted vaccines.

A three-step approach to the early development of adjuvanted vaccine candidates is proposed, the goal of which is to allow ample space for exploratory and hypothesis-generating human experiments and to select dose(s) and dosing schedule(s) to bring into full development. Although the proposed approach is more extensive than the traditional early development program, the authors suggest that by addressing key questions upfront the overall time, size and cost of development will be reduced and the probability of public health advancement enhanced. The immunogenicity end-points chosen for early development should be critically selected: an established immunological parameter with a well characterized assay should be selected as primary end-point for dose and schedule finding; exploratory information-rich end-points should be limited in number and based on pre-defined hypothesis generating plans, including system biology and pathway analyses.

Immunogenicity and safety of cell-derived MF59®-adjuvanted A/H1N1 influenza vaccine for children.

Mass immunization of children has the potential to decrease infection rates and prevent the transmission of influenza. We evaluated the immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of different formulations of cell-derived MF59-adjuvanted and nonadjuvanted A/H1N1 influenza vaccine in children and adolescents. This was a randomized, single-blind, multicenter study with a total of 666 healthy subjects aged 6 months-17 y in one of 3 vaccination groups, each receiving formulations containing different amounts of influenza A/H1N1 antigen with or without MF59.

Safety and immunogenicity of an MF59-adjuvanted A/H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine in children from three to seventeen years of age.

Objectives: This study was designed to identify the optimal dose of an MF59-adjuvanted, monovalent, A/H1N1 influenza vaccine in healthy paediatric subjects.

Methods: Subjects aged 3-8 years (n=194) and 9-17 years (n=160) were randomized to receive two primary doses of A/H1N1 vaccine containing either 3.75 μg antigen with half a standard dose of MF59 adjuvant, 7.

Enhanced and persistent antibody response against homologous and heterologous strains elicited by a MF59-adjuvanted influenza vaccine in infants and young children.

Background: Non-adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccines show only modest efficacy in young children. This study compared the immunogenicity, reactogenicity and safety of the MF59-adjuvanted trivalent subunit vaccine (aTIV) with two non-adjuvanted trivalent vaccines, TIV-1, the non-adjuvanted version of aTIV, and TIV-2, a split virion vaccine.

Methods: 6078 children received two doses of aTIV (n=3125), TIV-1 (n=1479), or TIV-2 (n=1474) four weeks apart (Days 1 and 29).

Immunogenicity and tolerability of an MF59-adjuvanted, egg-derived, A/H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine in children 6-35 months of age.

Background: Vaccines against pandemic A/H1N1 influenza should provide protective immunity in children, because they are at greater risk of disease than adults. This study was conducted to identify the optimal dose of an MF59®-adjuvanted, egg-derived, A/H1N1 influenza vaccine for young children.

Methods: Children 6-11 months (N = 144) and 12-35 months (N = 186) of age received vaccine formulations containing either 3.

A cell culture-derived MF59-adjuvanted pandemic A/H7N9 vaccine is immunogenic in adults.

A potentially deadly A/H7N9 avian-origin influenza virus is currently the cause of an ongoing outbreak in China. Preparedness plans have thus been initiated to preempt the spread of this virus, which appears to have substantial pandemic potential. To effectively prevent a pandemic from unfolding, rapid production of an immunogenic vaccine with an acceptable safety profile is critical.

A dose-ranging study in older adults to compare the safety and immunogenicity profiles of MF59®-adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccines following intradermal and intramuscular administration.

Unlabelled: Strategies to optimize responses to seasonal influenza vaccination in older adults include the use of adjuvants, higher antigen doses, and intradermal delivery. In this study adults aged ≥65 years (n = 450) received a single dose of 1 of 2 non-adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) formulations administered intradermally (ID), both containing 6 µg of A/H1N1 and B, differing in A/H3N2 content (6 µg or 12 µg), or a single dose of 1 of 8 TIV formulations administered intramuscularly (IM) all containing 15 µg of A/H1N1 and B, differing in A/H3N2 hemagglutinin (HA) content (15 µg or 30 µg) and/or in MF59(®) adjuvant content (0%, 25%, 50%, or 100% of the standard dose). This paper focuses on the comparisons of low-dose non-adjuvanted ID, full-dose non-adjuvanted IM and full-dose MF59-adjuvanted IM formulations (n = 270).

Safety of MF59-adjuvanted influenza vaccination in the elderly: results of a comparative study of MF59-adjuvanted vaccine versus nonadjuvanted influenza vaccine in northern Italy.

MF59-adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Siena, Italy) has been shown to be more effective than nonadjuvanted vaccine in the elderly population. Here we present results from a large-scale, observational, noninterventional, prospective postlicensure study that evaluated the safety of MF59-adjuvanted vaccine in elderly subjects aged 65 years or more. The study was performed in 5 northern Italian health districts during the 2006-2007, 2007-2008, and 2008-2009 influenza seasons.

Aflunov®: a vaccine tailored for pre-pandemic and pandemic approaches against influenza.

Introduction: Aflunov is an egg-derived, subunit vaccine from Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics containing 7.5 μg of hemagglutinin (HA) from the avian A/H5N1 virus and the oil-in-water adjuvant MF59.

Areas Covered: Aflunov behaves as a pre-pandemic vaccine.

Safety of MF59-adjuvanted A/H1N1 influenza vaccine in pregnancy: a comparative cohort study.

Objective: The 2009-2010 A/H1N1 pandemic provided a unique setting to study the safety of MF59-adjuvanted vaccination in pregnancy.

Study Design: This was an observational cohort study of the safety of an MF59-adjuvanted A/H1N1 vaccine (Focetria) conducted among 4508 pregnant women (2295 vaccinated vs 2213 unvaccinated), with 3 month follow-up of neonates.

Results: No maternal deaths or abortions occurred among the vaccinated women.

A randomised, single-blind, dose-range study to assess the immunogenicity and safety of a cell-culture-derived A/H1N1 influenza vaccine in adult and elderly populations.

Background: Modern cell-culture production techniques and the use of adjuvants helps to ensure that the global demand for pandemic influenza vaccine can be met. This study aimed to assess the immunogenicty and safety profiles of various cell-culture-derived A/H1N1 pandemic vaccine formulations in healthy adult and elderly subjects.

Methods: Adult (18-60 years) subjects (n=544) received vaccine either containing 3.

Superior immunogenicity of seasonal influenza vaccines containing full dose of MF59 (®) adjuvant: results from a dose-finding clinical trial in older adults.

Background: MF59-adjuvanted influenza vaccines have superior immunogenicity in older adults compared with non-adjuvanted vaccines. We assessed whether changing formulation (i.e.

Safety and immunogenicity of an MF59(®)-adjuvanted A/H5N1 pre-pandemic influenza vaccine in adults and the elderly.

Background: The potential consequences of an avian influenza pandemic warrants the development of safe, highly immunogenic pre-pandemic A/H5N1 vaccines with cross-clade protection. In this randomized, controlled study we compared the immunogenicity and safety of an MF59(®)-adjuvanted (Novartis Vaccines, Marburg, Germany) A/H5N1 pre-pandemic vaccine with that of a licensed, MF59-adjuvanted, seasonal influenza vaccine.

Methods: Healthy adult (18-60 years, n=3372) and elderly (≥61 years, n=275) volunteers received either an initial dose of a licensed, non-adjuvanted, trivalent, seasonal influenza vaccine (Agrippal(®)) on Day 1, followed by one dose of MF59-H5N1 study vaccine on Day 22 and a second dose of MF59-H5N1 on Day 43, or alternatively, placebo on Day 1 followed by one dose of MF59-adjuvanted seasonal reference vaccine on Day 22 and a second dose of reference vaccine on Day 43.

Hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers as a correlate of protection for inactivated influenza vaccines in children.

Introduction: The hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titer of 1:40, which has been recognized as an immunologic correlate corresponding to a 50% reduction in the risk of contracting influenza, is based on studies in adults. Neither seasonal nor challenge-based correlates have been evaluated in children.

Methods: A total of 4707 influenza vaccine-naive healthy children 6 to 72 months old were randomized in a ratio of 2:2:1 to receive 2 doses of MF-59-adjuvanted influenza vaccine (Novartis Vaccines), trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine subunit (trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine control, GSK), or a saline placebo during the 2007 to 2008 and 2008 to 2009 influenza seasons.

Trivalent and quadrivalent MF59(®)-adjuvanted influenza vaccine in young children: a dose- and schedule-finding study.

Young children are at increased risk for influenza infections and related complications. The protection offered to children by conventional trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (TIV) is suboptimal, due to poor immunogenicity and a higher exposure to infection and complications in this age group, particularly from influenza B strains. In this dose-ranging, factorial design trial, we report the safety and immunogenicity of different combinations of adjuvanted (ATIV) and non-adjuvanted trivalent (TIV) and quadrivalent (QIV) influenza vaccines in 480 healthy children 6 to <36 months of age.

Explorations of clinical trials and pharmacovigilance databases of MF59®-adjuvanted influenza vaccines for associated cases of narcolepsy.

Background: A potential association between the new onset of narcolepsy accompanied by cataplexy - a putative autoimmune disorder, and vaccination with an AS03-adjuvanted A(H1N1) pandemic influenza vaccine is under investigation. We sought cases of narcolepsy from the pharmacovigilance database of a pandemic vaccine adjuvanted with another emulsion adjuvant, MF59(®), and a pooled clinical trials database of MF59-adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted influenza vaccine recipients.

Methods: Using 6 narrowly restrictive and 24 broad sleep disturbance-related MedDRA preferred search terms (PT), we analysed spontaneous adverse events (AEs) reports received through July 31, 2010 and adjudicated suspected cases with onset 1 week-3 months after vaccination, against standardized clinical criteria defining narcolepsy.

Assessment of the safety, tolerability and kinetics of the immune response to A/H1N1v vaccine formulations with and without adjuvant in healthy pediatric subjects from 3 through 17 years of age.

Background: The recent global A/H1N1v pandemic led to major efforts to develop effective vaccines against the novel virus, while global demand and limited production capacity focused attention on dose sparing and schedules.

Methods: An open-label phase III study of immunogenicity and safety of novel A/H1N1v vaccines included 392 Costa Rican children in two pediatric cohorts (3-8 and 9-17 years). They received two doses, of either an MF59®-adjuvanted formulation containing 7.

Safety of MF59-adjuvanted versus non-adjuvanted influenza vaccines in children and adolescents: an integrated analysis.

We reviewed the safety of MF59-adjuvanted versus non-adjuvanted influenza vaccines in children and adolescents (aged 6 months-18 years) in an integrated analysis of all pediatric trials evaluating MF59-containing influenza vaccines completed to date (5 trials). In the MF59-adjuvanted group (n=1181) versus the non-adjuvanted group (n=545) there was no increase in the incidence of unsolicited adverse events and serious adverse events. As expected, solicited local or systemic reactions occurred more frequently in MF59-adjuvanted subjects; however, a majority of reactions were mild and transient.

MF59-adjuvanted versus non-adjuvanted influenza vaccines: integrated analysis from a large safety database.

Background: Adding adjuvants such as MF59((R)) to influenza vaccines can enhance the immune response. This analysis evaluated the safety profile of MF59-adjuvanted [(+)MF59] compared with non-adjuvanted [(-)MF59] vaccines in a large clinical database.

Methods: Safety data were pooled from 64 clinical trials involving (+)MF59 seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines.

Formoterol, 24 microg bid, and serious asthma exacerbations: similar rates compared with formoterol, 12 microg bid, with and without extra doses taken on demand, and placebo.

Study Objectives: The primary objective was to determine whether high-dose formoterol, 24 mug bid, was associated with more asthma exacerbations compared with lower formoterol doses in patients with stable persistent asthma. Serious asthma exacerbations (life threatening or requiring hospitalization) were the primary end point. Secondary end points included significant exacerbations requiring systemic corticosteroids, all exacerbations, and changes in FEV1.

High-resolution serum proteomic profiling of Alzheimer disease samples reveals disease-specific, carrier-protein-bound mass signatures.

Background: Researchers typically search for disease markers using a "targeted" approach in which a hypothesis about the disease mechanism is tested and experimental results either confirm or disprove the involvement of a particular gene or protein in the disease. Recently, there has been interest in developing disease diagnostics based on unbiased quantification of differences in global patterns of protein and peptide masses, typically in blood from individuals with and without disease. We combined a suite of methods and technologies, including novel sample preparation based on carrier-protein capture and biomarker enrichment, high-resolution mass spectrometry, a unique cohort of well-characterized persons with and without Alzheimer disease (AD), and powerful bioinformatic analysis, that add statistical and procedural robustness to biomarker discovery from blood.