Generex CEO Advises Against Viral Challenge Studies for COVID-19 Vaccine

Challenge studies for COVID-19 vaccines are “incomprehensible” as long as there are safer alternatives, Generex CEO Joe Moscato said yesterday, responding to a letter from lawmakers last week on the subject.

“Anyone who enrolls in a viral challenge study risks not only a deadly disease, but also worsening of the disease because the non-specific vaccine may produce unwanted immune system overreactions,” Moscato said.

Dozens of lawmakers last week called for COVID-19 vaccine challenge studies — which would intentionally expose healthy patients to the coronavirus to speed up development (DID, April 28).

 Generex is working to identify specific neutralizing antibodies that activate T-helper cell (TH1) responses instead of the TH2 responses associated with cytokine storm, an extreme immune response experienced by some COVID-19 patients.

The company plans clinical trials of its li-Key-SARS-CoV-2 peptide vaccine and hopes to partner with a major corporation currently developing a vaccine adjuvant, he said. — James Miessler