Race To Develop A Zika Vaccine

Drugmakers globally are racing to produce a vaccine for Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defects.

The World Health Organization has warned the disease is spreading explosively through the Americas and declared a global emergency.

But, companies and scientists have made clear that a vaccine for public use is, at the very least, some months away.

Here is a list of drugmakers and the progress they have made so far to develop a vaccine:

Company name Description Comments Sanofi SA Dengue vaccine maker The French drugmaker said its Sanofi Pasteur vaccines division would use its expertise in developing vaccines for similar viruses such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and, most  recently, dengue.

GlaxoSmithKline plc Dengue vaccine developer The British drugmaker said it is concluding feasibility studies evaluating whether its vaccine technology is suitable for the virus.

Intrexon Corp Synthetic biology company The US synthetic biology company's unit has said that a genetically modified mosquito has helped reduce the proliferation of mosquitoes spreading Zika.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc Vaccine and immunotherapy Inovio has said the first stage of human tests for a vaccine could begin as early as August developer and a vaccine could be ready for emergency use before the end of the year.

Hawaii Biotech Inc Privately held vaccine Hawaii Biotech initiated a formal programme to test a vaccine last fall and expects data to developer come through this year. But it is yet to determine when it will starts clinical tests.

Replikens Privately held vaccine The company will start tests on mice and rabbits by the second week of February and expects developer to glean data from the study over the next couple of months.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Lts Dengue vaccine developer Japan's leading drugmaker, which is already developing a vaccine for dengue fever, had assembled an eight-person team to look into the practicalities of a vaccine for Zika, which belongs to the same virus family.

Pfizer Inc Drugmaker The company is currently analyzing its existing vaccines portfolio to see where it might be able to play a role.

Johnson and Johnson's Janssen Drugmaker The company told Reuters it is currently evaluating if any of its available technologies unit could be directed to address Zika.

Merck & Co Inc  Drugmaker The company has said it was working with public health partners to see how its expertise could be useful.

Newlink Genetics Corp Ebola vaccine developer Newlink said it is initiating a project to develop new treatment options.

Sementis Ltd/University of Privately held vaccine The University of South Australia and Sementis are working together to develop a vaccine.

South Australia developer Geovax Labs Inc Vaccine developer The company said it has begun a program to develop a vaccine using its novel MVA-VLP vaccine
platform.