Vaxxinity’s Alzheimer’s Vaccine UB-311: Status of Clinical Trials & Efficacy

What is UB-311?

UB-311 is an immunotherapy vaccine made by Vaxxinity that helps target and prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The vaccine stimulates the immune system to help the body clean up the toxic amyloid-beta proteins that form tangles in the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients. The vaccine aims to help patients with mild to moderate symptoms.

How Does Vaxxinity’s Alzheimer’s Vaccine UB-311 work?

UB-311 works at the biological (cellular) level to target harmful clumps of protein in the brain and clean them up. This is done by stimulating a response from the immune system. Helper T-cells are activated with the vaccine and forces the immune system to do its job. This doesn’t mean that it is fixing the immune system; the medication is helping it respond properly. The immune system is able to target harmful amyloid-beta proteins. These complex proteins are a sign of Alzheimer’s and build up as the disease progresses. The removal of the dying brain cells helps improve cognitive function.

Pros & Cons of UB-311

UB-311 claims it will help Alzheimer’s patients with many basic functions: logic, understanding, remembering, and interpreting information. These are all tested via different Alzheimer’s disease assessment scales that are testing cognitive improvement like Mini-Mental State Exam (used to measure severity of thinking problems caused by Alzheimer’s). The most common side effects were irritation where the injection was given and agitation.

Effectiveness of the UB-311 Vaccine

The FDA gave UB-311 a “fast track” designation due to its early test results.

When Will UB-311 Be Available to the Public?

If the trials of UB-311 continue to be positive, this drug could be on the market 1-2 years.