The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) space may have filled up over the past year, but that isn’t deterring Vicebio or its investors.
The British biotech has secured $100 million in series B funds as it continues a phase 1 trial of its bivalent vaccine targeting both RSV and human metapneumovirus (hMPV). A readout for the vaccine, dubbed VXB-241, is expected next year.
Further, the company will use some of the cash to push ahead with VXB-251, a trivalent vaccine targeting RSV, hMPV and parainfluenza virus 3.
Both VXB-241 and VXB-251 have been developed with Vicebio’s so-called “molecular clamp” tech, which is designed to better stabilize viral proteins and thus make the biotech’s vaccines easy to administer and store. It was developed by a team led by professors Paul Young, Ph.D., Daniel Watterson, Ph.D., and Keith Chappell, Ph.D., at the University of Queensland in Australia before being licensed out to Vicebio by the university’s commercialization arm.
“This innovative approach enables the production of highly effective vaccines that are easy to manufacture and will be available in ready-to-use prefilled syringes,” the biotech explained in a Sept. 24 release.
The financing was led by TCGX and featured founding investor Medicxi alongside Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Avoro Ventures, venBio and UniQuest.
"The support from these high-calibre investors underscores the robust data package we have generated for VXB-241, highlighting the significant potential of our proprietary Molecular Clamp technology to develop next-generation vaccines against respiratory viruses,” Vicebio CEO Emmanuel Hanon, Ph.D., said in the release.
Hanon joined Vicebio from GSK, which secured the first approval for an adult RSV vaccine last year in the form of Arexvy. Pfizer now has its rival Abrysvo on the market, which was joined in May by Moderna's mRESVIA. Merck & Co. is following close behind, while AstraZeneca—which manufactures the approved RSV antibody Beyfortus—threw its hat in the ring late last year by buying RSV vaccine developer Icosavax.
There are currently no approved vaccines targeting both RSV and hMPV, meaning Vicebio could still carve out its own niche in an increasingly crowded arena. However, Vicebio's prospect will be going up against IVX-A12, the RSV and hMPV combo vaccine that AstraZeneca acquired as part of its Icosavax buyout. AstraZeneca was touting IVX-A12 as being “phase 3 ready” as far back as December.