ETVAX: Potential Diarrhea vaccine developed in Sweden

The researchers of University of Gothenburg in Sweden have developed a potential Diarrhea vaccine candidate, named as ‘ETVAX’. This vaccine has been proved safe and effective in an early-stage clinical trial in Bangladesh. The findings were published in Science journal, The Lancet.

Key Findings

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) bacteria are primary cause of diarrhea. At present there is no ETEC vaccine available on the market for use in children in the ETEC high-risk areas. But now, an oral ETEC vaccine candidate, named ‘ETVAX’, was developed at University of Gothenburg in collaboration with Scandinavian Biopharma, Stockholm. ETVAX consists of inactivated E. coli bacteria expressing high levels of protective antigens as well as ETEC-based B subunit protein LCTBA.

The report stated that 80% to 100% of children aged 2 to 5 years and 50% to 80% of infants aged 6 to 11 months, selected for the study responded to all key immunity generating components of vaccine. The vaccine has been proved safe and effective in an early-stage clinical trial in Bangladesh against enterotoxigenic E. coli diarrhea in children from half year (6 months) to 5 years of age.

Diarrhea leads to substantial illness and death in children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). As per the researchers, there is no vaccine yet for use for children and vaccine development for Diarrhea is a World Health Organization (WHO) priority.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2019