Vaccine News

While a U.S. FDA-approved shingles vaccine has been well received in the market and numerous studies indicate it's effective and safe, a non-mRNA adjuvanted subunit vaccine candidate has completed a significant series B financing.

Announced on March 17, 2025, Curevo Vaccine closed a $110 million Series B round to advance the development of Amezosvatein, its vaccine for shingles (varicella-zoster virus).

"This Series B round will fund the extension of our successful Phase 2 program into an additional 640 participants, including the key population of adults over age 70, to finalize dose selection ahead of the Phase 3 program," said Curevo's CEO, George Simeon, MBA/MPH, in a press release.

"Designed based upon feedback from regulators and other stakeholders, this short extension trial will begin mid-2025 and set the company for clinical, strategic, and regulatory success."

The Phase 2 study (NCT05304351) 's primary completion date is March 31, 2025.

Like Shingrix®, amezosvatein, the assigned non-proprietary name for CRV-101, uses a subunit protein antigen called glycoprotein 'E' (gE). Targeting the gE antigen is proven to elicit a long‑term, protective immune response to prevent shingles.

Amezosvatein's adjuvant contains an optimized version of the TLR4 agonist proven by Shingrix to be biologically active in shingles vaccination.

Amezosvatein was engineered to maintain exceptional efficacy and have a best‑in‑class tolerability profile.

The SLA-SE adjuvant formulation was developed at Seattle‑based Access to Advanced Health Institute and amezosvatein was licensed from the Mogam Institute for Biomedical Research, a research institute funded by South Korea's GC Biopharma.

Until a phase 3 study is completed and approved by the FDA, this shingles vaccine candidate will not become commercially available in the U.S. Currently, the U.S. CDC recommends two doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine to prevent shingles and related complications in most people. This vaccine is offered at most pharmacies.

The Shingles Vaccine industry is projected to reach about $7 billion by 2032. 

In response to the ongoing Sudan Ebola virus outbreak in the Republic of Uganda, the U.S. government recently updated a Level 2 Travel Health Advisory for this rare and deadly disease.

On March 12, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed a Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak in the Kampala, Wakiso, Jinja, Mbale, Kyegegwa, Kabarole, and Ntoroko districts.

Since late January 2025, about 14 cases, including four related fatalities, have been reported.

The CDC says local health authorities in Uganda are working to identify infected people and transmission sources, conduct investigations, take action to prevent further transmission, and educate communities and the public about the risks and dangers of SVD.

If you travel to Uganda, the CDC published an extensive list of activities to avoid.

About 200,000 people visited Uganda in 2024. Traveler screening at Ugandan entry points remains active as of March 2025.

Unlike Zaire Ebola, which has approved vaccines and therapeutics, SVD vaccines and therapeutics remain under development as of mid-March 2025.

From a safety perspective, the U.S. Department of State recently updated its Level 3 Travel Advisory to reflect current information.

The State Department advises reconsidering travel to Uganda and exercising increased caution due to potential risks and the unpredictable nature of public demonstrations. The U.S. Embassy in Kampala is available to support U.S. citizens. 

Each flu season, government agencies meet to review potential changes to influenza vaccines. These reviews are essential since influenza viruses often change during the migration between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres.

This means influenza vaccines must be updated annually to include the viruses that will most likely circulate in the upcoming flu season. 

Today, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its recommendations to vaccine manufacturers for the virus strains to be used in influenza (flu) vaccines for the 2025-2026 flu season in the United States.

On March 13, 2025, the FDA stated that after a comprehensive review of U.S. and global surveillance data, the recommendations are similar to those for the previous year’s strain selection.

Furthermore, the FDA does not anticipate any impact on the timing or availability of vaccines in the U.S. This year, about 100 million flu shots were distributed in the U.S.

To inform the selection of the flu virus strains, the FDA convened a meeting of scientific and public health experts from the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Department of Defense. During the meeting, these federal partners collaboratively evaluated and analyzed U.S. and global surveillance data related to the epidemiology and antigenic characteristics of flu viruses currently circulating.

For the ongoing 2024-2025 flu season, most vaccines are trivalent (three-component), and many will be thimerosal-free and egg-based. These flu shots are offered at clinics and community pharmacies in the U.S.

As Chikungunya outbreaks continue to expand globally in 2025, France's La Réunion Islanders are urged to be vigilant in eliminating breeding sites.

According to France's Ministry of Health on March 12, 2025, 1,766 new Chikungunya cases were recorded last week. This represents an 18% increase compared to the previous week.

During 2025, 5,041 cases have been reported.

La Reunion's southern municipalities have been the most affected, accounting for 72% of cases since August 2024.

The last Chikungunya epidemic in La Réunion was reported in 2005–2006.

France's island off the east coast of Africa is not alone in reporting cases. In 2024, locally transmitted Chikungunya infections were confirmed in Paris and France's Mediterranean coastal communities.

These areas in France have also reported Dengue and Zika infections, which are also mosquito-transmitted diseases.

Also located in the South Hemisphere, Brazil has had a Chikungunya outbreak again this year, with over 40,000 cases, many centered in its mountainous states.

To alert international travelers to these outbreaks, the U.S. CDC has issued a Travel Health Advisory and suggests people speak with a travel vaccine expert about Chikungunya immunization options in 2025.

Over the past decade, vaccine manufacturers have established production centers closer to where the vaccines are utilized, such as in Africa and Europe.

Today, Batavia Biosciences announced a strategic collaboration with Vaccine Biotechnology City (VBC) and MEVAC to enhance vaccine manufacturing capabilities in Egypt.

As of March 13, 2025, this new collaboration builds on a previously signed license agreement for Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccines. Negotiations for Rotavirus vaccines are underway.

This vaccine production capability is essential during disease outbreaks like measles.

Through this partnership, Batavia will license proprietary processes, analytical methods, and production systems to VBC and MEVAC, empowering them to produce high-quality vaccines locally and meet international standards.

This partnership positions Egypt as a vital player in vaccine manufacturing, contributing to greater vaccine self-reliance for the Middle East and Africa.

In a press release, Ahd Hamidi, Strategic Partnership Director at Batavia Biosciences, stated, “This collaboration reflects our mission to deliver affordable and accessible vaccine solutions to regions where they are most needed. By enabling local vaccine production, we aim to empower Egypt as a critical player in the fight against preventable diseases in Africa and beyond.”

As the collaboration progresses, the Batavia, VBC, and MEVAC partnership is set to make a lasting impact on public health outcomes across Africa and the Middle East.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) released data today that indicates the ongoing transmission of measles across the EU/EEA has continued into 2025.

In 2024, 127,350 measles cases were reported in the European Region, double the cases reported for 2023.

During this period, Romania reported the most cases.

Among those diagnosed with measles with information available on their vaccination status, about 86% were unvaccinated as of March 11, 2025.

This unfortunate disclosure heightens the health risk in Bucharest, Romania's capital city and popular tourism destination. About 6 million people visited Bucharest last year.

In 2024, Romania reported the highest number of measles cases in the European Region, with over 30,000 cases.

According to previous research published in January 2025, Romania's current measles epidemic is driven mainly by two D8 genotype variants with different mutation profiles and slightly different severities.

Phylogenetic analysis identified two well-supported clusters, suggesting at least two local transmission networks in Romania.

These researchers wrote, "To improve vaccination programs in Romania, sustained genetic surveillance of this pathogen and immune waning evaluation of vaccinated adults are recommended."

"The ability to accurately track viral lineages via genetic sequencing is yet another valuable tool for developing an adequate monitoring and surveillance capacity, which can lead to a better identification of transmission chains and, therefore, aid in interrupting measles outbreaks."

Since measles transmission and outbreaks are being reported globally, the ECDC encourages international travellers to check their vaccination status before departing abroad, as the MMR vaccine takes at least two weeks to become effective.

Note: This news article was updated on 3/13/25 with data from the WHO.

A South Korean vaccine and biotech company announced today that it has shipped its self-developed influenza vaccine to countries in the Southern Hemisphere ahead of the arrival of the new flu season.

SK bioscience confirmed on March 12, 2025, that it has begun shipping SKYCellflu to Southeast Asia and Latin America markets. A total of 750,000 doses will be supplied to countries in these markets in the first half of 2025.

SKYCellflu is the world's first cell culture-based influenza vaccine to obtain WHO Prequalification.

SK bioscience's advanced technology offers key advantages over traditional egg-based production. For example, there is a reduced risk of viral mutations during manufacturing, which results in better strain matching with circulating viruses. Additionally, cell culture technology allows for a shorter production timeline, enabling faster response during outbreaks or pandemics.

This shipment marks the company's second export of influenza vaccines for Southern Hemisphere use, following its initial export to Thailand in 2024. Although Thailand is geographically located in the Northern Hemisphere, it follows both WHO's flu vaccination guidelines for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres due to its north-south span.

About 100 million flu shots were distributed in the United States for the 2024-2025 influenza season.