As the focus of the COVID-19 pandemic turns to the development of a vaccine, work is also underway to prevent other conditions, including Ebola, and other respiratory viral infections. 

One such “universal virus vaccine” cleared the phase I/II of clinical trials, according to a press release from the manufacturer. The release notes that the trial is believed to be the first specifically targeted for elderly patients, where pneumonia is the most common cause of infectious disease death for people over the age of 65. 

“There is a large unmet need to protect the elderly from the devastating effects of respiratory viral infection,” Michael Har-Noy, founder and CEO of Mirror Biologics, said in the release. “Our universal vaccine technology is designed to protect against any type of viral infection without the requirement to have prior knowledge of the viral structure and is specifically designed to work in the weakened senescent immune systems of the elderly and frail.”

Two companies announced this month that they will collaborate on developing a novel adjuvanted COVID-19 candidate vaccine, with phase I clinical testing expected to start this month as well. The collaboration will combine Medicago’s recombinant Corona Virus-Like Particles with GSK’s pandemic adjuvant system. A release from the companies noted that the use of an adjuvant “can be of particular importance in a pandemic situation as it may boost the immune response and reduce the amount of antigen required per dose, allowing more vaccine doses to be produced and therefore contributing to protect more people.” 

Pending results of the clinical trial, the companies hope to have the vaccine on the market in the first half of 2021, according to the release. The companies could also develop a post-pandemic vaccine as well, the release said. 

Pfizer announced it is conducting clinical trials for several vaccines, including a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for infants, a pentavalent meningococcal vaccine for adolescents, and a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine for pregnant women. 

Kathrin U. Jansen, PhD, Senior Vice President and Head of Vaccine Research & Development, said if the vaccines are approved, they “could help prevent serious, possibly deadly infectious diseases that negatively impact millions of people of all ages globally.” 

Johnson & Johnson announced the European Commission approved Janssen’s preventive Ebola vaccine and that the company will work with the World Health Organization on vaccine pre-qualification. According to a release from the company, the vaccine is a two-dose regimen and has been approved for “active immunization for the prevention of Ebola Virus Disease caused by the Zaire ebolavirus species,” in people aged one and above. 

“The approval of our Ebola vaccine symbolizes the progress Janssen has made towards achieving our vision of delivering potentially transformational vaccines to communities most at risk of deadly infectious diseases,” said Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, Global Head, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. 

Mammen said the vaccine is the first approved with technology used to develop investigational vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, Zika, RSV, and HIV.