I am a big Freddie Mercury fan.
The man and the music still bring me so much joy. Watching the These are the days of our lives video still makes me cry. With news of an HIV prevention vaccine being approved by the European Commission in September, it’s bittersweet to think at the time Freddie died, overall survival was still being used as an endpoint in HIV trials when, 30 years on, it would never be considered today given most people living with HIV have a life expectancy that’s near-normal.
Similarly, news of a new cost-effective malaria vaccine recommended by the World Health Organisation last month that can be manufactured at significant scale brings hope for the millions who could be saved from developing the deadly disease.
Vaccine innovation continues at the forefront of disease interception, prevention and eradication.
But while vaccine creation is one thing, access is another. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), three in four people in high-income countries have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to just one in three for low-income countries.
Much to overcome the vaccine access issue hinges on the requirement for cold chain infrastructure. But a new wave of innovation points to a future without the need for cold storage:
- Researchers at MIT have created a prototype mobile printer that generates vaccine-filled microneedle patches that can be stored long-term at room temperature and self-applied to the skin.
- Micron Biomedical has developed injection-free microarray patches (MAPs) suited to a range of compounds and in May, announced positive Phase 1/2 results for the use of its patches to deliver measles and rubella vaccines to children. Similarly, startup Vaxxas is investigating its MAP to deliver a second-generation typhoid vaccine, previously reporting interim Phase I results for a COVID-19 vaccine using the same technology, and it’s initiated Phase I trials for a seasonal flu vaccine.
- UK-based Ensilitech is using inert silica to encapsulate the active ingredients of vaccines in a protective ‘cage’ keeping them protected from temperature and humidity variations. When the vaccine is ready to be administered, the silica cage cracks open, leaving the active ingredients in their fully functional form.
Regardless of where you stand on the ‘to vaccinate or not to vaccinate’ movement, we must admit simply debating the role of vaccines in our society is a privileged place to be.
Enabling equal access to vaccines (and other medicines) such that all societies can consider their need – to quote a line from my favourite Queen song: that would really be a breakthrough.
Lou Dalton is a Senior Director in Health.