Over the course of three years, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will pay approximately $22 million to Vaxxas to fund phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S. and Australia for a high-density microarray patch capable of administering vaccines needle-free.
This comes as part of a new agreement reached this week between the government agency and the Australian company, which also has offices in Cambridge, Mass. BARDA hails the microarray patch technology as one with the potential to reduce vaccine amounts required and thereby help healthcare professionals service more patients. It would also be a room temperature stable alternative to some traditional vaccines’ refrigerated transportation and storage needs.
“Protecting health and saving lives in public health emergencies such as pandemics often requires rapid, widespread vaccination among large groups of people, which poses multiple logistics challenges,” BARDA Acting Director Gary Disbrow said. “Imagine placing a patch on your arm or leg instead of having to go to a clinic or doctor’s office to get a shot. Not only would needle-free technology simplify vaccination logistics and potentially lower costs, but a self-administered patch also may improve vaccination rates.”
The phase 1 clinical trial should begin in 2022 and include more than 400 adult volunteers for unadjuvanted and adjuvanted influenza vaccines. These trials will be based on pre-pandemic flu vaccines.