In November 2022 PharmaJet announced that it had received an NIH grant of $800,000 towards their Phase II investigation of the immunogenicity of intradermal administration of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Using PharmaJet’s Tropis intradermal (ID) needle-free injection system (NFIS), the study will compare this method against traditional needle and syringe administration.
HPV in Indonesia
The study takes place in Indonesia, in collaboration with Padjadjaran University. The WHO suggests that more than 95% of cervical cancer is due to HPV. In Indonesia, cervical cancer is the 2nd leading cause of female cancer, according to HPV Information Centre. An estimated 36,600 new cervical cancer cases are diagnosed each year in Indonesia.
Of the 342,000 deaths believed to be caused by cervical cancer in 2020, roughly 90% occurred in low- and middle-income countries. PharmaJet suggests that this is due to “limited access to preventative measures” and late identification. Furthermore, treatment options may be limited in these areas.
The study
The study will aim to recruit around 900 girls, between the ages of 9 and 14, at the start of 2023. This comes after preliminary studies have evaluated intradermal delivery for HPV vaccines. Intradermal administration is already “widely used” for polio vaccine delivery. It has been found to be “safe, effective, and immunogenic”.
Why PharmaJet?
PharmaJet identifies its mission as to “enable greater access to life improving pharmaceuticals.
“We are committed to helping our partners realise their research and commercialisation goals while making an impact on public health.”
Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, Dr Erin Spiegel, is “pleased to receive this grant from the NIH”.
“Intradermal administration of vaccines can provide benefits for low resource settings including lower costs, increased coverage, and increased acceptability.”
Dr Spiegel outlined some of the benefits of PharmaJet’s system in our recent interview at the World Vaccine Congress in Europe 2022. To learn more, watch it here.
We look forward to hearing more from PharmaJet at the World Vaccine Congress in Washington in April 2023. Get your tickets to join us there.
