World’s first fridge-free tetanus-diphtheria vaccine enters clinical trial

World’s first fridge-free tetanus-diphtheria vaccine enters clinical trial
UK-based biotech company Stablepharma is closer to launching the world’s first fridge vaccine.
Developed using its proprietary technology, StablevaX™, the Stablepharma tetanus-diphtheria vaccine (SPVX02) is now entering its first-in-human trial through a UK government-back programme.
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The trial is being conducted at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Southampton Clinical Research Facility, located at University Hospital Southampton, and led by Professor Saul Faust, the facility’s director, alongside Dr Karen O’Hanlon, chief development officer at Stablepharma. Professor Faust said: “It is fantastic to see cutting-edge UK science reach the milestone of a first clinical trial and to be able to give the opportunity for people living on the South Coast to take part.
eradicate vaccine wastage and move away from the need for the cold chain.”
Dr O’Hanlon described the trial as “an important milestone towards launching the world’s first fridge-free tetanus-diphtheria vaccine.” “We have also previously demonstrated that our technology can be manufactured under commercially scalable GMP conditions, enabling a scaling-up to millions of doses per year without the need for the global cold chain,” she added.
Vaccines wastage
Globally, nearly half of all vaccines are wasted each year, largely due to failures in the cold chain—a system that is not only costly and complicated to maintain but also contributes significantly to carbon emissions.
Stablepharma’s innovation aims to reduce this wastage by converting existing approved vaccines to fridge-free versions that are ‘thermostable’ and can be stored for long periods at room temperature.
The company has identified up to 60 vaccine candidates that could be suitable for StablevaX™ technology.
The SPVX02 candidate has shown impressive results in stability tests, remaining com