Astellas reports positive flu vaccine trial data

Astellas has announced new data from a phase III clinical trial of ASP7374, a recombinant seasonal influenza haemagglutinin vaccine developed in partnership with UMN Pharma.

Summary results from the study showed that the new drug delivered a non-inferior performance to an approved egg-derived trivalent inactivated vaccine, thus meeting the primary efficacy endpoint of the trial, while no major safety issues were observed.

Containing three different strains of antigens, the new vaccine has been produced via a cell culture manufacturing method employing the Baculovirus Expression Vector System, a next-generation technology platform for manufacturing biopharmaceutical products.

Protein Sciences was granted marketing approval for the new product from the US Food and Drug Administration in January 2013.

This comes after Astellas last month announced the UK launch of Betmiga, a new once-daily therapy for adult patients with overactive bladder.

It is the first in a new class of drug called beta 3-adrenoceptor agonists and represents the first new type of treatment to go on sale for this condition in Britain for more than 30 years.