Needle-free vaccine maker Vaxxas opens first manufacturing facility for nation

By CHRISTINE LAI

Vaxxas, an Australian biotechnology company that is leading vaccine patch technology has opened its doors to a new site in Hamilton which will serve as its global headquarters.

The Queensland biotech company expects to manufacture millions of needle-free vaccine patches at its new Brisbane plant over the next three to five years. Vaxxas’s vaccine patch technology can deposit a vaccine through the surface of the skin in seconds.

According to the information available on its website, the biotech company has stated its focus on initial applications in infectious disease and oncology. It has also established collaborations with renowned global organizations involved in vaccine commercialization, such as Merck/MSD, the United States Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Vaxxas Biomedical Facility covers an area of 5,500 square meters (equivalent to 60,000 square feet) and will support the company’s operations to scale up and produce HD-MAP vaccines for upcoming late-stage clinical trials and the release of their first commercial products. Economic Development Queensland worked alongside Vaxxas to progress designs and approval for the global headquarters facility.

Vaxxas uses HD-MAP technology platform, which administers vaccines to immune cells directly below the skin’s surface through a patch. The platform uses an ultra-high-density array of projections that are not visible to the naked human eye and are integrated into a small applicator device, with a patch that is placed on the skin. Benefits to this vaccine patch application include faster and increased immune response with lower doses, eliminating the need for refrigeration, and broad accessibility with the potential for self-administration.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles called the news of the manufacturing facility beneficial for Queensland and its continued development of global research and innovation hub due to the investment by Palaszczuk’s Government.

“The Palaszczuk Government is committed to supporting homegrown biomedical start-ups to scale up successfully and ensure we keep this innovation and our best and brightest researchers on home soil,” Deputy Premier Miles said.

Deputy Premier Miles described Vaxxas as a “terrific example of a local success story” and looked to its potential to create new high-skilled jobs within the global industry as a means to “supercharge the state’s economy.”

“Expanding our sovereign capability in the development, manufacturing, and delivery of vaccines was one of the important lessons COVID-19 taught us. This world-renowned technology has the potential to play a vital role in pandemic-preparedness because it allows vaccines to be deployed quickly and easily to our communities,” he said.

According to Vaxxas Chief Executive Officer David Hoey, the inauguration of the facility represents a significant achievement for the biotech company since it was founded at The University of Queensland in 2011.

Success in human clinical trials 

Vaxxas project aligns with the Queensland Government’s Biomedical 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan. Vaxxas’ HD-MAP vaccine delivery platform is rapidly progressing towards commercialisation, fuelled by its achievements in multiple human clinical trials.

With the successful completion of human clinical trials involving over 500 participants, ongoing Phase I clinical studies for COVID-19 and seasonal influenza, as well as vaccine studies targeting pandemic influenza supported by the United States Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and an upcoming measles-rubella study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Vaxxas is witnessing significant advancements in its journey towards bringing this innovative technology to market.

Hoey stated that with support from the Queensland State and Australian Federal Governments, the Vaxxas Biomedical Facility would firmly position Australia at the forefront of vaccine technology innovation.

“The site will significantly increase our manufacturing capacity, creating new local and skilled jobs, while enabling Vaxxas to progress through late-stage clinical trials that will bring our first commercial vaccine products to the market,” Hoey said.

Currently, the biomedical sector contributes $2.1 billion to Queensland’s economy, employing more than 12,000 people. The project is expected to support up to 200 local, skilled jobs in the next three to five years, strengthening Queensland’s growing status as a globally competitive Asia-Pacific biomedical hub.