Dynavax’s New Shingles Vaccine Shows Promise with Strong Immune Response and Fewer Side Effects

Dynavax Technologies Corporation has announced promising early results from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for its new shingles vaccine candidate, Z-1018. The data indicates that the investigational vaccine generates an immune response comparable to the current market leader, Shingrix, but with a more favorable safety profile.

The Z-1018 Vaccine: A New Contender

Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a painful viral infection caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, which affects one in three people. While the current shingles vaccine, Shingrix, is highly effective, it is also known for causing significant post-injection side effects, such as pain and fever.

Z-1018 aims to offer a new option. The vaccine is a non-live, recombinant subunit vaccine designed for adults 50 and older. It combines an antigen (glycoprotein E) with two proprietary adjuvants, CpG 1018 and alum, to boost the immune system and overcome age-related decline.

Promising Trial Results

In the first part of the trial, Z-1018 was tested against Shingrix in healthy adults aged 50 to 69. The results showed that Z-1018 was effective at stimulating a strong immune response:

Immune Response: Z-1018 achieved a 100% humoral vaccine response rate (antibody production), compared to 96.9% for Shingrix. It also generated robust T-cell activity, a key indicator of long-lasting immunity.
Safety and Tolerability: This is where Z-1018 showed a major advantage. It had significantly lower rates of local and systemic reactions compared to Shingrix. Only 12.5% of Z-1018 recipients reported significant local reactions, and 27.5% reported systemic reactions, a notable improvement over Shingrix’s rates of 52.6% and 63.2%, respectively.

According to Dr. Robert Janssen, Dynavax’s Chief Medical Officer, a vaccine that offers a strong immune response with better tolerability could provide an important new option for protection against this debilitating disease.

The company’s CEO, Ryan Spencer, stated that based on these findings, Dynavax will advance Z-1018 into the next phase of the trial, which will include adults aged 70 and older. If successful, Z-1018 could challenge Shingrix’s dominance in the multi-billion-dollar shingles vaccine market.