BRIEF—Vaxart falls behind in vaccine race

Shares in Vaxart have fallen sharply, after the firm released mixed data from a Phase I study of COVID-19 vaccine candidate VXA-CoV2-1.

While the oral tablet vaccine was well-tolerated and able to produce an immune response, neutralizing antibodies specific to the coronavirus were not found in the single-dose arm.

Samples from participants who received two low doses, 29 days apart, were found to have such antibodies present.

Chief executive Andrei Floroiu said: "These results, together with recent data from our peers, further raise our confidence in the success of VXA-CoV2-1 and the broad potential of our platform.”