Actions of the manufacturer of oral vaccines Vaxart Inc (NASDAQ: VXRT) are in a strong two-day race after two announcements linked to the development of the coronavirus vaccine.
What happened: The company based in southern San Francisco, California, said its COVID-19 oral vaccine has been selected to participate in a non-human primate challenge study, or animal study, organized and funded by Operation Warp Speed.
The study is designed to demonstrate the efficacy of the vaccine candidate, according to Vaxart.
“We are very pleased to be one of the few companies selected by Operation Warp Speed, and that ours is the only oral vaccine being evaluated,” CEO Andrei Floroiu said in a statement.
On Thursday, Vaxart said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Attwill Medical Solutions Sterilflow that will enable the latter to provide freeze-drying and large-scale manufacturing development, including tablets and enteric coating, for Vaxart’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Once a formal agreement is signed, Attwill plans to allocate dedicated resources and teams for that purpose, Vaxart said.
Because it is important: Vaxart shortlisted its top candidate for the COVID-19 vaccine in late May.
The company’s candidate vaccine is a stable tablet at room temperature, which confers a huge logistical advantage in large vaccination campaigns.
Vaccine selection under Operation Warp Speed is expected to pave the way for federal funding for the project and serve as validation for the Vaxart vaccine program.
The company has hired both Biosolutions Emergentes Inc (NYSE: EBS) and Kindred Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: KIN) to produce bulk vaccines under cGMP.
He recently appointed biopharma and vaccine industry veteran Floroiu as CEO to provide an arm injection for the COVID-19 vaccine program.
The proposed deal with Attwill is another step to accelerate Vaxart’s vaccination program.
“We believe that AMS experience coupled with its ability to manufacture one billion or more doses per year would be a beneficial addition to our CDMO partner group and would enable the large-scale manufacturing and final supply of our COVID-19 vaccine for EE. The US, Europe and other countries in need, “said Floroiu.
VXRT Price Action: After rising 96.24% to $ 6.26 on Thursday, Vaxart shares were trading 73.32% higher at $ 10.85 before trading on Friday.
Related links:
These 6 coronavirus vaccine candidates are most likely to succeed, says Morgan Stanley.
Revisiting the Coronavirus Vaccine Race: Updates on the 10 Candidates at the Clinics
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