More tools to protect against the tick-borne illness, including a new shot, are on the horizon more than two decades after a promising Lyme disease vaccine was pulled from the market.
The transformation of Lyme disease from a regional summertime nuisance into a year-round health risk that can damage the nervous system and necessitate several weeks of intravenous antibiotic therapy is causing worldwide concern about how climate change is contributing to the proliferation of ticks.
Expert Opinion on Lyme Disease
Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor at George Washington University, told Axios Today, “Untreated, Lyme disease can be very serious.” Some people experience life-altering, incapacitating symptoms.
Although there are a number of Lyme disease vaccines for dogs, humans haven’t had a choice since LYMERix, which was made by the former SmithKline Beecham, was pulled from the market in 2002 due to low consumer demand, reports of arthritis and other adverse events, and anti-vaccine sentiment.
“The FDA discovered inadequate proof to support a causal link between the revealed adverse reactions and the immunization and continued to allow utilization of the antibody,” experts said in The study of transmission of diseases and contamination in 2007 in response to what happened.
“However, customer demand for the vaccine dropped due to the general public’s view of potential risks, which was significantly impacted by negative media coverage and a lack of knowledge of the vaccine’s benefits.”
According to Nadine Bowden of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), “that left the public without alternatives other than antibiotics like doxycycline after a tick bite, while drugmakers begged off new shots, fearing market risk.” Is it worth the venture and worth the gamble?” She stated
All of that might change in the next few years. Recently, Moderna reported two novel mRNA immunization competitors against Lyme illness ready to go. Another vaccine candidate from Pfizer and its partner Valneva, VLA15, is currently enrolled in late-stage clinical trials with children as young as five participating.
The organizations hit an obstacle in February when they needed to throw the consequences of about portion of their clinical preliminary members because of issues in how the review was controlled by an outsider administrator. However, the businesses claim that they could still submit a request for approval to the Food and Drug Administration as early as 2025.
A human monoclonal antibody that is made to be used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for Lyme disease is one of the other ideas being looked into by researchers as a means of preventing the disease.
In addition, researchers are evaluating the possibility of inoculating mice in locations with a high tick population in the hope of conferring immunity on the ticks themselves. Other researchers are working on developing more sensitive tests that target biomarkers released by the body when Lyme disease is present rather than just the virus itself.
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