As tick season approaches, researchers have announced the potential for new treatments to offer protection from Lyme disease. UMass Chan Medical School reported that a novel monoclonal antibody may have proven successful at preventing Lyme disease in a new phase I trial, according to an article published in Telegram & Gazette. Researchers demonstrated that the treatment option, called Lyme PrEP and developed by MassBiologics at UMass Chan, was safe and effective—and capable of remaining in the bloodstream for 6 to 7 months without causing adverse side effects—and may provide unprecedented protection to individuals who live in high-risk regions throughout tick season with just a single-dose injection. They plan to further evaluate the efficacy of the novel monoclonal antibody in a placebo-controlled phase II/III trial involving up to 4,000 individuals and hope to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval as early as 2025.
Rutgers University reported that they will host a separate study analyzing the safety and efficacy of Pfizer and Valneva SE’s novel Lyme disease vaccine for individuals aged 5 to 17 years. Researchers will administer either the vaccine or placebo to up to 3,000 children who have not recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease and then a booster shot after 1 year. The companies explained that they hope to supply the first vaccine for the disease by 2025—which may compete with UMass Chan Medical School’s monoclonal antibody.