Vaxcyte (PCVX) Doses Its First Patient in a Trial for a Disease With No Existing Vaccine

Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX) is one of the most promising healthcare stocks according to Wall Street analysts. On June 2, Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX) dosed the first participant in its Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial of VAX-A1. VAX-A1 is the company’s experimental vaccine against Group A Streptococcus, or Group A Strep.

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The dosing marks Vaxcyte’s entry of what would be the first-in-human vaccine candidate for Group A Strep, a disease for which no approved vaccine currently exists. For context, Vaxcyte estimates that Group A Strep is responsible for 800 million illnesses globally every year, and the illnesses range from common strep throat to severe, life-threatening infections and long-term complications like rheumatic heart disease. Despite this burden, no approved vaccine exists anywhere in the world, noted Vaxcyte.

For the trial, Vaxcyte will enroll 80 healthy adults aged 18 to 40 in Australia. The company said the choice of Australia is because the country has high rates of Group A Strep disease. It also has established research networks with deep expertise in studying it. Vaxcyte will structure the study in two stages, where Stage 1 will include 12 participants who will serve as a safety checkpoint before an independent safety board reviews results and approves the expansion to Stage 2.

All participants will receive two doses of VAX-A1 or a placebo, which will be spaced about two months apart. They will then be monitored for six months after the final dose. The trial will test low, mid, and high dose levels to find the right balance between immune response and tolerability.

Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company.

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