FluGen, Inc. have announced preliminary data from a human challenge trial with its investigational intranasal M2SR vaccine showing, for the first time, protection against a highly mismatched influenza virus. This major step toward demonstrating breadth of protection is key to developing a universal flu vaccine against flu viruses that have significantly drifted from the strains contained in the vaccines. GreyRigge Associates would like to congratulate the FluGen team on this success milestone in the development of a universal influenza vaccine.
Considering the generally low vaccine effectiveness of marketed injectable vaccines, as well as the serious consequences when influenza virus drifts just slightly from the currently licensed annual flu vaccines, FluGen wants to understand how broadly the vaccine could protect if the flu virus dramatically mutates not only over one year, but over six influenza seasons. This result is an important milestone in answering that question.
GreyRigge Associates, who have been supporting FluGen Inc. since 2014, are very excited at the success of the vaccine and look forward to continue working with FluGen in their ongoing development efforts to successfully bring a universal influenza vaccine to market.