Rising Number of Infectious Disease Outbreaks and Pandemic Drives Vaccine Adjuvant Market

According to the World Bank 2023 report, bacterial, viral, parasite, or fungal diseases can be contagious, spreading directly from person to person. Health disasters such as the Ebola Virus disease epidemic in West Africa and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in the Republic of Korea have resulted in high healthcare costs in the past. As per the National Institute of Health (NIH) report, the H1N1 influenza pandemic resulted in losses of ~US$ 2.8 billion to the Mexican tourism industry, as the footfall of tourists decreased by nearly 1 million over a 5-month window of the contagious spread of H1N1 virus. Therefore, the emergence of various infectious diseases with the associated cost burden accelerates the manufacturers’ demand for vaccines and vaccine adjuvants.

COVAXIN, a vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, uses Alhydroxiquim-II as an adjuvant. The biotech company ViroVax LLC discovered and tested this adjuvant in the laboratory. The pharmacological action of Alhydroxiquim-II is that it travels through lymph nodes and activates TLR7 and TLR8 cellular receptors, which play a vital role in the immune response against viruses. Alhydroxiquim-II is the first adjuvant responsible for activating TLR7 and TLR8, thus stimulating people’s immune responses. Therefore, the rising number of infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics, accounting for high healthcare costs, propels the demand for vaccine adjuvants.

Vaccine Adjuvant Market: Geographic Overview

Based on geography, the vaccine adjuvant market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South & Central America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2022, North America accounted for the largest global vaccine adjuvant market share. Asia Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR during 2022–2030. Fast product approvals for vaccine adjuvants and top manufacturers’ involvement in adjuvant production support the market growth in these regions. Strategic initiatives by vaccine adjuvant market players fuel the market, such as collaborations between Chinese companies to produce adjuvant vaccines. For instance, in April 2020, US-based Dynavax Technologies Corporation announced a collaboration with a Chinese biopharmaceutical company named Sinovac to develop CpG 1018 adjuvant. CpG 1018 is used in HEPLISAV-B [Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted], an adult hepatitis B vaccine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase vaccine immune response.

Japanese government authorities also facilitate accelerated product approvals for vaccine adjuvants. In April 2022, Novavax, Inc. announced receiving approval for the “Nuvaxovid COVID-19 Vaccine,” intended for primary and booster immunization in Japan. The product was approved by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and stands as the first protein-based vaccine to be authorized for use in Japan.

Additionally, in August 2020, Novovax, Inc. announced a partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the “NVX‑CoV2373, Novavax” COVID‑19 vaccine candidate in Japan. NVX‑CoV2373 is a stable prefusion protein made using Novovax recombinant protein nanoparticle technology, including Novovax’s proprietary “Matrix‑M adjuvant.” Also, for the production of NVX‑CoV2373, Takeda will receive funding from the Government of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW), which supports technology transfer, infrastructure establishment, and manufacturing scale-up.

In India, support from the National Institute of Health (NIH) contributes significantly to the production of vaccines. One such example is the adjuvant developed by NIH funding to enhance the efficacy of India’s COVAXIN Alhydroxiquim-II vaccine. The adjuvant used in COVAXIN, “Alhydroxiquim-II,” was discovered and tested in the laboratory by ViroVax LLC by incorporating a small molecule attached to “Alhydrogel,” a substance commonly known as alum standing as the most common adjuvant used in human vaccines. Indian biotech companies collaborate with top research institutes to develop adjuvanted vaccines. R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine is one such example. In April 2023, Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd (SIIPL) and the University of Oxford manufactured and scaled up the “R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine” using Novovax’s adjuvant technology licensed for use in Ghana by the Country’s Food and Drugs Authority. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine developed by the University of Oxford has undergone clinical trials in the UK, Thailand, and several African countries, including ongoing Phase 3 trials in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, and Tanzania, enrolling 4,800 children. Therefore, strategic developments by biotechnology companies and NIH funding and support for the production of adjuvanted vaccines are the major factors responsible for the market growth.

Industry Developments and Future Opportunities:  

Various initiatives taken by leading players operating in the global vaccine adjuvant market are listed below:

• In December 2022, Health Canada approved a Supplement to a New Drug Submission for Nuvaxovid as a series of two doses for adolescents aged 12–17.
• In October 2023, SPI Pharma Inc. and Q-Vant Biosciences Inc. announced a partnership that combines Q-Vant’s leadership in sustainable saponin extraction technology with SPI’s global reach and servicing expertise in the pharmaceutical industry. The arrangement includes investment in expanding Q-Vant’s proprietary 100% sustainable Q-SAP technology and an exclusive commercial agreement to accelerate the adoption of their saponin adjuvants for veterinary and human vaccine formulations worldwide.
• In November 2022, GSK plc reported that the US FDA offered Priority Review for its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine candidate. The vaccine consists of GSK’s exclusive AS01E adjuvant in combination with a recombinant subunit prefusion RSV F glycoprotein antigen (RSVPreF3).
• In November 2021, Seppic launched MONTANIDE GEL P PR, an aqueous adjuvant based on a polymeric technology exclusively dedicated to avian injectable vaccines, meeting the need for innocuity in the avian vaccine market. In addition, MONTANIDE GEL P PR is particularly stable and can resist destabilizing antigenic media frequently used in avian vaccines.

Vaccine Adjuvant Market: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments

SPI Pharma Inc, GSK Plc, CSL Ltd, Seppic SA, Hawaii Biotech Inc, Dynavax Technologies Corp, InvivoGen SAS, Croda International Plc, Novavax Inc., and Phibro Animal Health Corp are among the leading companies operating in the vaccine adjuvant market. The focus of these players is on expanding and diversifying their market presence and acquiring a novel customer base, thereby exploiting attractive business opportunities prevailing in the vaccine adjuvant market.