“The Netherlands invests € 12.2 million in the development of bacterial vaccines via a five-year contract to Intravacc”

“The Netherlands invests € 12.2 million in the development of bacterial vaccines via a five-year contract to Intravacc. Bacterial vaccines are a preventive measure in the approach to antibiotic resistance. After all, a vaccine protects against (resistant) infections, which means that fewer antibiotics are needed. On behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), Intravacc is starting to develop vaccines against resistant gonorrhoea and Lyme disease.

Gonorrhoea and Lyme
There is a great need for vaccines that provide protection against bacterial infections, including resistant bacteria. The list of resistant bacteria is long. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and Intravacc made a choice by considering the public health importance of the infectious diseases, the presence or absence of alternatives, and their applicability within the platforms of Intravacc. This resulted in 2 bacteria:

1. resistant gonorrhoea: this infection is high on the priority list set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017
2. Lyme: this bacterium is a persistent problem requiring antibiotic treatment.

Platform technologies
The development of a vaccine takes a relatively long time. Making use of existing knowledge can considerably shorten this process. Intravacc works with 2 bacterial platform technologies: OMV technology (Outer Membrane Vesicle) and conjugate technology. Both gonorrhoea and Lyme fit well into the OMV platform. Intravacc is now first developing a concept vaccine against gonorrhoea. And then uses the knowledge and expertise gained for a vaccine against Lyme.”

Source: The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport