CEPI, THSTI and Panacea Biotec partner to develop broadly protective Betacoronavirus vaccines

CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, today announced the latest award under its $200m programme, launched in March 2021, to advance the development of vaccines that provide broad protection against SARS-Cov-2 variants and other Betacoronaviruses'. CEPI will partner with a consortium comprised of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and Panacea Biotec, a research-based biopharmaceutical company and vaccine manufacturer, to develop vaccine candidates that could provide broad protection against SARS-COV-2 variants and other Betacoronaviruses.

CEPI will provide funding of up to siz.sm to support the development of multi-epitope, nanoparticle based vaccine candidates and advance the manufacturing process. Through this research programme, THSTI and Panacea Biotec will design and select the lead antigen through proof-of-concept preclinical studies, and undertake initial clinical development through Phase I / II studies as they seek to establish clinical proof of concept for novel vaccine candidates to provide broad protection against MERS, SARSCoV, SARS-COV-2 and its variants.

Novel technology platform

Consortium partners THSTI and Panacea Biotec are using a novel technology platform with highly immunogenic antigens. Data from preclinical studies indicate that the vaccine platform induces both humoral and cellular mediated immune responses.

If the platform is proven to be successful, 'It could potentially be used to enable rapid development of vaccines against Disease X - unknown pathogens with pandemic potential that have yet to emerge.

Enabling equitable access

CEPI, THSTI and Panacea Biotec are committed to enabling global equitable access to the vaccines developed through this partnership. Under the terms of the funding agreement, THSTI and Panacea Biotec have committed to achieving equitable access to the outputs of this project, in line with CEPI's Equitable Access Policy.

Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said: "Over the past two years, coronaviruses have demonstrated their pandemic potential with devastating effect. SARS-CoV -2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 - will not be the last coronavirus to infect humans, and there's nothing to stop the next one being even more deadly or contagious. It's therefore vital for global health security that we invest now in research to develop vaccines that are broadly protective against variants of SARS-CoV -2 and other coronaviruses before they emerge.

"Indian scientists and industry have played a central role in the. global fight against COVID-19, so I am proud to work with our Indian partners THSTI, a leading research institution, and Panacea Biotec, a vaccine manufacturer with a proven track record of delivering WHO prequalified vaccines, to advance our mission to develop globally accessible vaccines with the potential to prevent the next pandemic."

Prof Pramod Kumar Garg, Executive Director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, said: "We are excited to be awarded this prestigious grant from CEPI. We are looking forward for fruitful academia - industry collaboration with Panacea Biotec in bringing out a vaccine product for global public' health. We are hopeful that this collaboration will further enhance our capabilities to develop a robust platform and pipeline for development of products against other infectious diseases."

Dr. Rajesh Jain, Managing Director, Panacea Biotec, said: "We are honoured to collaborate with CEPI and THSTI for development of a betacoronavirus vaccine that can provide broad protection against SARS-COV-2 and other coronaviruses. With this collaboration and investment in scientific research, health security, and innovative public-private partnerships, we can achieve a safer and more prepared world."

CEPI is accelerating its programme to develop broadly protective coronavirus vaccines-a core part of its $3.5 billion pandemic preparedness plan-in view of the continued threat posed by new SARS-COV-2 variants like Omicron. This partnership is the sixth to be announced under this programme, and more are expected to be announced shortly.

Shares of Panacea Biotec Limited was last trading in BSE at Rs. 205.15 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 203.75. The total number of shares traded during the day was 5560 in over 415 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 211.95 and intraday low of 204.00. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 1152706.00.

Source : Equity Bulls

Keywords

PanaceaBiotec INE922B01023 CEPI THSTI Betacoronovirus Vaccines