MinervaX announced today that the company has initiated a Phase I clinical trial for its group B Strep vaccine candidate GBS-NN. The Phase I trial will enrol up to 310 healthy adult women in two parts, Part A, which is a safety and dose-escalation trial in up to 70 women, and Part B, which is an extended safety and dose confirmation trial in up to 240 women.
Group B Strep Support’s Chief Executive and Founder, Jane Plumb MBE, welcomed the news that Phase 1 of the clinical trial has now begun:
“We are delighted that MinervaX is developing a group B Strep vaccine. Group B Strep is the most common cause of severe infection in newborn babies, although most of these infections are preventable. The UK’s prevention strategy has failed to reduce the rates of these infections for more than a decade. A safe and effective vaccine is the ‘holy grail’ of GBS prevention as it could protect more babies from GBS infection than any other strategy, though is still years away. In the meantime, the UK needs to identify women carrying GBS late in pregnancy so that protective antibiotics in labour can be targeted at those who will benefit the most – the babies of women carrying group B Strep.”
To find out more about MinervaX, click here and read the press release here. If you are interested in finding out more about taking part in the trial, click here.
