Invivyd announces new pipeline discovery program for measles mAb

Invivyd (IVVD) has initiated a discovery program for a measles monoclonal antibody. Multiple healthcare providers who are treating active measles and monitoring contacts and outbreaks have inquired directly to Invivyd about the possibility of accessing such a medicine, as there are no currently approved therapies for measles or for post-exposure prophylaxis. Measles monoclonal neutralizing antibody discovery efforts would join current Invivyd discovery programs for next-generation COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza mAbs designed to treat acute infection or provide a high-quality alternative to vaccination. There are currently no anti-viral treatments for measles. Clinicians have limited options for treatment of individuals sick with measles including high-dose Vitamin A, which is useful to support recovery from measles infections among children who are Vitamin A deficient, and human donor-derived pooled plasma immune globulin administered via IV to treat active phase measles. Both therapies have limitations for treatment, in addition to not being approved, well-characterized clinical tools: Vitamin A can be hepatotoxic, and IVIG is a non-uniform, polyclonal collection of antibodies collected and pooled from many donors and is poorly suited for widespread use. Standard measles vaccines confer excellent, long-lasting protection from disease and are the most important tools to prevent measles infection but have important limitations in post-exposure prophylaxis and are increasingly underutilized by sizeable populations in America due to restricted healthcare access or religious or personal views on the use of vaccines in general. Recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimates the potential health effects of declining vaccine uptake and highlights the enormous health consequences to Americans associated with the reestablishment of previously eradicated pathogens such as measles. Acute measles infection involves clinical features of varying severity, including fevers, pneumonia, encephalitis, and high-risk of secondary bacterial infections, with one in four infections leading to hospitalization and one in every 1,000 causing death. The virus deletes immunological memory, creating an immunological amnesia that enhances risk of disease against all infections for years. One in a few thousand cases will cause a 100% fatal deterioration of brain tissue called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis approximately 7-10 years after infection.