Five COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates in Preclinical Testing. Development Services to Enable Manufacture of cGMP Vaccine at Emergent BioSolutions have Started

South San Francisco, California, USA., April 2, 2020 - Vaxart, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oral recombinant vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection, today announced it had produced five COVID-19 vaccine candidates for testing in its preclinical models.  Each of the COVID-19 vaccine constructs is based on a different coronavirus antigen combination, and Vaxart expects to advance the best performing vaccine to manufacturing for clinical trials.

Our scientists have been working tirelessly to develop these 5 different vaccine constructs, and this evaluation in our preclinical models will allow us to select the most potent candidate for clinical testing.“The effectiveness of Vaxart’s oral vaccine technology has been demonstrated in clinical trials.  Developing a vaccine to meet this current public health threat is very important to all of us at Vaxart,” said Sean Tucker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Vaxart. 

In January, Vaxart initiated a program to develop a COVID-19 vaccine based on its VAAST^TM platform.  On March 18, Vaxart announced that it had entered into an agreement with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (“Emergent”) for development services in preparation for the cGMP production of the Vaxart vaccine.  Development services have started and, if Vaxart elects to proceed with cGMP manufacturing, Emergent is expected to produce bulk cGMP vaccine for use in a Phase 1 clinical study that Vaxart currently expects to initiate early in the second half of 2020. 
 

“We believe an oral vaccine administered using a room temperature-stable tablet would provide enormous logistical advantages in large vaccination campaigns,” said Wouter Latour, MD, chief executive officer of Vaxart Inc.  “Perhaps more importantly, we recently demonstrated that our oral H1 influenza vaccine protects against respiratory infection based on mucosal immunity, the first line of defense for mucosal viruses like influenza and this new coronavirus.  We believe this puts Vaxart in a unique position to develop an effective vaccine that protects the population from COVID-19.”
 

About Coronavirus

CDC is responding to a pandemic of respiratory disease spreading from person-to-person caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The disease has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”). This situation poses a serious public health risk. The federal government is working closely with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, as well as public health partners, to respond to this situation. COVID-19 can cause mild to severe illness; most severe illness occurs in older adults.
 

About Vaxart

Vaxart is a clinical-stage biotechnology company primarily focused on developing oral recombinant protein vaccines based on its proprietary oral vaccine platform. Vaxart’s vaccines are designed to generate broad and durable immune responses that protect against a wide range of infectious diseases and may also be useful for the treatment of chronic viral infections and cancer. Vaxart’s vaccines are administered using a convenient room temperature-stable tablet, rather than by injection. Vaxart believes that tablet vaccines are easier to distribute and administer than injectable vaccines and have the potential to significantly increase vaccination rates. Vaxart’s development programs include oral tablet vaccines that are designed to protect against coronavirus, norovirus, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV). For more information, please visit www.vaxart.com.

The King of Morocco ordered the creation of a $1 billion fund to upgrade health infrastructure and help vulnerable economic sectors to counter coronavirus spread.

Berlin Germany, March 24th 2020 -In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Morocco, King Mohammed VI ordered the creation of a $1 billion fund to upgrade health infrastructure and help vulnerable economic sectors. The fund will also help acquire the necessary health equipment and assist sectors such as tourism as well as help maintain jobs and mitigate the pandemic’s social repercussions.

The pandemic is expected to hit the Moroccan economy hard, with the pivotal tourism sector, which last year attracted 13 million visitors. In addition to the fund, the King also ordered that field hospitals be set up across the country to assist health services. As soon as the first coronavirus cases were confirmed, Morocco suspended all international passenger flights, closed schools and canceled all events.

As of March 23rd, Morocco reported new confirmed cases of coronavirus bringing the total number to 134 cases, the recovery of three patients and the death of four. Most initial cases were found in Moroccans resident in Spain, Italy and France who had returned home for visits. Moroccan authorities have been urging citizens to observe rules of hygiene, implement the precautionary measures issued by the Moroccan health authorities, act with responsibility and show patriotism. Authorities have also been disinfecting public transportation and deployed loudspeakers on cars, asking people to stay home, especially those with pre-existing health problems and the elderly. Morocco has been hailed for ensuring the necessary consumer products for citizens on a daily basis.

The House of Representatives unanimously voted for draft decree Law 2.20.292 on Monday, March 23, to penalize anyone who violates the state of emergency protocol. The state of emergency entered into effect on March 20. To know more about the outbreak of coronavirus in Morocco, please visit www.covidmaroc.ma. About Friends of Morocco Friends of Morocco is a non profit organization with branches around the world. The main objective is to promote Morocco and to build bridges and connect people who have fallen in Love with this country, adopted its culture and made it their 2nd home.​​​​​​​

Press Contact: Elle P. Wolfgang Berlin, Germany 015213454385

(Monarch Beach, CA) – “It took a virus to demonstrate the beauty and proficiency of telemedicine effectively,” mused CEO is US Tele-Medicine, Jacques von Speyer, “

Twelve years ago when we commenced operations, the term telehealth was an arcane notion to almost all healthcare executives nationwide. Indeed, there were exceptions, but by and large, it was relegated to the unknown and, therefore, impracticable. “ Currently, we hear the term telemedicine being touted by no less a personage as the President of the United States. This newly realized world of telemedicine is enjoying lavish platitudes poured on by the endless array of medical experts appearing on our screens. The industry well receives all of it.

“Perhaps this pandemic will fortify the health industry to bring telemedicine to the point where it has the most beneficial and immediate impact on the industry at large, concerning access, costs, and of course, patients’ lives.” Said von Speyer. “We focus on managing chronic illness. That’s where the bulk of national healthcare costs reside, and paradoxically that is where there is a definitive lack of access to care and care continuum.” Chronic illness, according to von Speyer, is one of the dominant indicators responsible for swollen healthcare costs and illogically, that spending produces a consistent increase in morbidities found in vast populations. He contends that in addition to lack of access, it comes down to the current human condition, which willingly yet unintentionally avoids compliance to the detriment of its health. It lacks merely consistent guidance and comfort. With citizens now isolated, this perhaps best demonstrates that telemedicine is the perfect tool to deliver consistent access and personalized medical care by video or phone to millions?

It is not difficult to imagine the impact it could have on the lives of those battling hypertension, diabetes, COPD, heart conditions, or even behavioral issues. “There was time, only a short while ago that the medically underserved populations were primarily found in rural America,” explained von Speyer, “however, for many years now, the dense urban populations are as underserved as rural areas. To combat chronic lifestyle illnesses and bring patients to satisfactory health, through total regimen compliance, in reality, requires at least three medical visits per month. That never happens in a medically underserved population. Only telemedicine can do that effectively against any standard.” Now that the nation is keenly aware of telemedicine, albeit in a manner in which million-dollar advertising campaigns could not generate, quite unfortunately, the question now is adoption.

Will the national healthcare industry adopt telemedicine as a valuable operational platform to mitigate the lack of access to medical care and unreasonable escalating costs? “I don’t see much of choice, do you?” said von Speyer. “Couple telemedicine with the mind-blowing array of innovative telematics and sensors now available, and you will change the quality of life and increase the longevity of millions of deserving folks in the United States. It’s as crucial and elementary as that.”

The coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to disrupt our lives in unimaginable ways. Reproductive Health and Wellness Center wants you to know that our first priority is the health and safety of our patients, their families, and our community at large.

This week the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) issued guidelines in response to COVID-19. Unfortunately, they are asking all fertility clinics to not start any new fertility treatment cycles and they are promising to give us an update by March 30, 2020.  

As we comply with these guidelines, we also understand that your fertility does not take a pause. 

To that end, Reproductive Health and Wellness Center plans to remain the leader in 

comprehensive, boutique infertility care in Orange County. We are continuing to offer free consultations 

for all patients in Southern California now in a virtual format. We are also expanding our available 

consultation hours to include all weeknights and weekends for those of you that are busy at work or being a parent during the day. The virtual consultations offer crystal clear audio and video, patients can meet with Dr. Rosencrantz in the comfort of their own homes and offices, the format is privacy protected, and the feedback from patients thus far has been outstanding.  

The free virtual consultation includes the same as in-person. The only difference is online you get to have the fertility consultation from the comfort of your home or office. The online video consultation can be done on your computer, phone or tablet with a direct link we provide for you. This is all on a private remote video system that is HIPPA compliant. 

New fertility patient consultations include the following: 

Part I 

• 60-minute consult with fertility specialist doctor
• Go over medical history(andpartner if applicable)  
• Go over fertility history(and partner if applicable)
• Talk about definition and causes of infertility
• Potential diagnostic testing 
• Potential treatment options 
• Go over fertility wellness program 

Part II 

After your consultation with the doctor you will have a second consult with the nurse practitioner who will go over how to get test done and finances.  

After your consultation the doctor and his team will be updating you on next steps and also on changes to the ASRM’s guidelines.  

Reproductive Health and Wellness Center will remain open and will continue to service all patients. If you are looking to do an in-person consultation, please call 949-516-0606 to go over current health and speak with fertility doctor. To book a free online video fertility consultation click here.  

Mostly we ask those looking for fertility treatments to not be anxious or stress yourself. That is why we have an in-house team of fertility counselors available to do online video conferencing and even support groups. Our fertility specialist in Orange County are here for you and we will get through this together.