Operation Warp Speed to test first oral COVID-19 vaccine in non-human primates.- Vaxart

Vaxart, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oral vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection, announced that its oral COVID-19 vaccine has been selected to participate in a non-human primate (NHP) challenge study, organized and funded by Operation Warp Speed, a new national program aiming to provide substantial quantities of safe, effective vaccine for Americans by January 2021. The study is designed to demonstrate the efficacy of Vaxart’s oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate. "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. SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is primarily transmitted by viral particles that enter through the mucosa - nose, mouth or eyes - strongly suggesting that mucosal immunity could serve as the first line of defense,” said Andrei Floroiu, Chief Executive Officer of Vaxart Inc. “In addition, our vaccine is a room temperature-stable tablet, an enormous logistical advantage in large vaccination campaigns.”. The initiative ‘Operation Warp Speed’ has the goal to support the production of 300 million Covid-19 vaccine doses for the US by early 2021. Now, five finalists for funding have been chosen – AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna and Pfizer.