Covid vaccine: Phase III trial of the vaccine developed by HDT Bio

The start of Phase III trial of COVID-19 vaccine in India is announced by the US-based biopharmaceutical company HDT Bio Corp on Wednesday

The Phase III trial of the vaccine developed by HDT Bio in partnership with Gennova Biopharmaceuticals in India is anticipated to be an affordable one as compared to the present vaccines in the west.

HDT Bio CEO Steve Reed said, “This trial is a major milestone for Gennova and us.”

He added that a vital part of the company’s mission is setting value-sharing partnerships with drug firms in historically underserved countries.

“Our goal is to empower our partners to produce and distribute innovative medicines at affordable prices,” Steve Reed said.

It is mentioned in a media release that HDT Bio’s innovative vaccine uses a proprietary Lipid Inorganic Nanoparticle (LION) formulation to deliver immune-stimulating RNA fragments to targeted cells.

According to the company, its vaccine is significantly different from current RNA vaccines in two ways.

First, its RNA payload is designed to increase itself inside the body. As a result of which the vaccine efficiently stimulates the immune system at a much lower dose than current vaccines, enhancing safety and reducing manufacturing costs.

Second, the RNA connects to the outside of the LION system rather than becoming encapsulated within it, simplifying manufacture and improving stability.

The release said in July 2020, HDT Bio and Gennova established a partnership to co-develop the COVID-19 vaccine. As part of the deal, Gennova got the rights to market the vaccine in India. In return, Gennova agreed to provide doses for use in US clinical development and to improve the scalability of the LION technology.

Clinical trials of HDT Bio’s COVID-19 vaccine are supposed to begin this year in the US and Brazil. A grant of $8.2 million is received by HDT Bio from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health to quicken the vaccine’s development.

Another $6 million has also been raised by HDT Bio in a seed round financing led by Zoic Capital.