The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently terminated nearly $500 million in BARDA-funded mRNA vaccine development contracts, signaling a significant policy shift. This decision was influenced by concerns over mRNA vaccines' effectiveness against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract, as highlighted by HHS Secretary Kennedy. GeoVax Labs, Inc. has responded by advocating for its MVA-based multi-antigen vaccine, GEO-CM04S1, as a superior alternative that addresses these mRNA deficiencies.
GeoVax's GEO-CM04S1 vaccine, which expresses both the Spike (S) and Nucleocapsid (N) proteins of SARS-CoV-2, has shown in clinical studies to induce immune responses across various COVID-19 variants, including the original Wuhan strain and Omicron, even in immunocompromised patients. This multi-antigen approach is designed to offer broader and more durable protection, countering the issue of antigenic shift that plagues single-target mRNA vaccines.
David Dodd, Chairman and CEO of GeoVax, emphasized that the MVA-based platform aligns with U.S. priorities by offering evidence-backed safety for vulnerable populations, including immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women, and children. Additionally, the platform supports scalable, decentralized U.S. vaccine manufacturing, promising faster production, higher yield, and reduced costs.
Beyond COVID-19, GeoVax is developing MVA-based vaccines for other infectious diseases, such as Ebola, Zika, and Mpox/Smallpox, aligning with global pandemic preparedness and biodefense priorities. The company urges HHS to support multi-antigen platforms like MVA to enhance the U.S. biomedical countermeasure arsenal and ensure national immunization security.
For more information on GeoVax's innovative vaccine platform and its potential to overcome the limitations of mRNA vaccines, visit https://www.geovax.com.
