Quilimmune-P pneumococcal vaccine

An investigational product

Quilimmune-P is a vaccine designed to prevent Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in the elderly — a rapidly growing, high risk population. S. pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus or pneumococcal bacteria, is a pathogen that infects the respiratory tract and causes pneumonia and other serious health problems. Populations at increased risk of infection include the elderly, people with compromised immunity, and certain ethnic groups.

	To learn more about the QS-21 technology on which Quilimmune-P is based, follow the link below: QS-21

Current Vaccines

There are two commercially available ‘free polysaccharide’ vaccines for the prevention of pneumococcal infections in the elderly. However, neither has demonstrated the ability to generate a significant immune response against most or all serotypes of pneumococcal bacteria.

For pediatric populations, there is also a commercially available ‘polysaccharide-protein conjugate’ vaccine for the prevention of otitis media, a pneumococcus-induced ear infection that affects the middle ear and ear drum. This conjugate vaccine has not been shown to significantly enhance immune response in the elderly compared with the two ‘free polysaccharide’ vaccines.

Quilimmune-P in the Elderly

Specifically designed to provide improved protective immunity, Quilimmune-P consists of the conjugate vaccine in combination with QS-21, Antigenics’ immune adjuvant designed to increase the body’s immune response to a vaccine.

Investigator-reported Phase 1 data demonstrated that compared with currently available pneumococcal vaccines, Quilimmune-P stimulates significantly higher levels of immune response among elderly adults, including significant antibody responses against more serotypes of pneumococcal bacteria and a stronger immune response to revaccination. All three vaccines were well tolerated in the clinical trial. Read the press release about the investigator-reported findings.