The crucial role of vaccines in protecting public health couldn't have been clearer than with the recent coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines were instrumental in helping to reduce the spread of the virus, propelling vaccines to the top ten therapy category by sales as of 2023.
At the height of the pandemic, Cominarty, which was jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, emerged as the leading covid vaccine, recording peak sales of about $40 billion for two consecutive years, illustrating the commercial opportunity for vaccines.
The pandemic also sparked a new wave of innovation targeting infectious diseases, with one key breakthrough marked by the delivery of the world’s first mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, which put a spotlight on the promise of mRNA technology.
Now, one little-known company by the name of Medicus Pharma (NASDAQ:MDCX) is set on taking mRNA technology to the next level in a move that could disrupt the global vaccine market.
Developing thermostable infectious disease vaccines
For context, Medicus Pharma is a development-stage biotech focused on commercializing a novel, non-invasive treatment for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) using a patented dissolvable microneedle array (D-MNA) patch that delivers doxorubicin directly to tumor cells. Microneedles represent a promising innovation in the field of drug delivery, offering a painless and highly efficient method to administer therapeutics.
Earlier this month, the company announced that it had entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Helix Nanotechnologies Inc. to develop thermostable infectious disease vaccines by combining HelixNano’s proprietary mRNA vaccine platform with Medicus’ proprietary MNA delivery platform.
There's a good reason why Medicus decided to jointly develop mRNA vaccines instead of traditional vaccines. mRNA vaccines teach the body to make its own antigen, resulting in faster development and stronger cell-mediated immunity. That means that vaccines can be developed in weeks instead of months or years, and since they do not use live viruses, the safety profile is significantly improved.
But unlike conventional mRNAs, HelixNano uses engineered, ultra-compact mRNA constructs designed to be more potent, stable, and efficiently deliverable in formats like microneedle patches. That means its vaccines or therapies may end up requiring smaller doses for the same immune response, reducing production cost and easing delivery. Moreover, this mRNA technology offers the potential for greater thermostability, addressing the cold chain burden seen with Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
“The potential of combining HelixNano’s potent mRNA vaccine platform with our uniquely formulated dissolvable microneedle array (MNA) technology is designed to unlock the next generation vaccination paradigm,” stated Dr. Raza Bokhari, Executive Chairman & CEO, “aiming to develop needle-free, thermostable vaccines that could eliminate cold-chain logistics, reduce distribution costs, improve patient access, and offer global scale, which could potentially position us at the forefront of groundbreaking opportunities to prevent, rather than treat, infectious diseases.”
Multibillion-dollar opportunity for solving vaccine cold-chain logistics
The successful development of thermostable mRNA vaccines has the potential to disrupt the broader vaccine industry which according to recent reports will be worth at least $78 billion by 2029.
“Current mRNA vaccines, such as those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, require cold storage at temperatures ranging from -20°C to -70°C, adding an estimated up to $7 in logistics costs per dose due to specialized freezers, insulated shipping containers, backup power systems, and temperature monitoring. These cold chain requirements significantly increase distribution costs and complexity, particularly in low-resource or remote settings, where infrastructure is limited or non-existent. In large-scale campaigns, this translates into billions of dollars in added cost and logistical risk, with even minor temperature deviations potentially leading to full batch losses,” explains Dr. Raza.
A microneedle patch that allows for room temperature stable mRNA delivery could therefore eliminate most of these cold chain expenses, streamline global distribution, and unlock entirely new markets representing a major cost-saving advantage for both drug developers and public health systems.
MNA patches could revolutionize the global vaccine market by removing the need for syringes, cold storage, and trained healthcare workers. In addition to that, these patches are well suited for scalable manufacturing since they are compatible with mass production, have long shelf life, and support large-volume rollout, making them ideal for national stockpiles and COVAX type efforts.
Essentially, the joint technology by Medicus and HelixNano would directly support global pandemic readiness by offering a scalable, storable, and deployable platform for future outbreaks and endemic disease control.
So far, HelixNano has already completed 18 month stability testing on its clinical grade mRNA batch and teams are reviewing formulation compatibility with the microneedle patch. According to Dr. Raza, initial feedback from the patch manufacturer is technically promising. The development of a clinical-grade vaccine batch is already in progress, putting the new platform on a path toward human trials and regulatory milestones in the near term.
The great thing about this new technology platform is that it won't be limited to covid-type vaccines. Although its initial focus will be on infectious diseases, the platform is agnostic to the payload, enabling future expansion into other therapeutic areas such as cancer vaccines, autoimmune disorders, and more.
What’s more is that since Medicus owns the proprietary MNA delivery system, it has strong IP leverage in vaccine partnerships and licensing opportunities beyond the joint venture with HelixNano.
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