HQ Team
April 8, 2024: An oral spray vaccine has proved effective in halting recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) for up to nine years in more than half of people who participated in testing the vaccine.
The MV140 vaccine’s Initial results in a long-term follow-up study showed that recurrent UTIs in both men and women disappeared in 54% for nine years after the vaccine, with no notable side effects. Full results of the study are expected to be published by the end of 2024.
UTIs are the most common bacterial infection and more than half the female population experiences it at least once and one in five men experience it. Recurrent infections, needing short-term antibiotic treatment, develop in between 20 to 30 per cent of cases. Antibiotic resistance has exacerbated the problem.
The UK’s Royal Berkshire Hospital physicians carried out this long-term follow-up study on the efficacy of the MV140 vaccine in 89 patients.
Key Findings:
- The MV140 vaccine, sold as Uromune, demonstrated long-term effectiveness in preventing recurrent UTIs, with over 54% of participants remaining UTI-free for up to nine years.
- The average infection-free period across the cohort was 54.7 months (four and a half years) – 56.7 months for women and 44.3 months, one year less, for men. 40% of participants reported having repeat doses of the vaccine after one or two years.
- Participants reported fewer and less severe UTIs, enhancing their quality of life and reducing reliance on antibiotic treatments.
- Uromune’s convenient oral spray delivery method, coupled with its pineapple flavor, offers a user-friendly alternative to injections.
- The vaccine’s global availability under special access programs in 26 countries underscores its potential impact on a global scale.
- Further research is warranted to explore its effectiveness in diverse patient groups and optimize its usage for maximum efficacy.
Dr Bob Yang, Consultant Urologist at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, who co-led the research, said “Before having the vaccine, all our participants suffered with recurrent UTIs, and for many women, these can be difficult to treat. Nine years after first receiving this new UTI vaccine, around half of the participants remained infection-free. Overall, this vaccine is safe in the long term and our participants reported having fewer UTIs that were less severe. Many of those who did get a UTI told us that simply drinking plenty of water was enough to treat it.”
“This is a very easy vaccine to administer and could be given by GPs as a 3-month course. Many of our participants told us that having the vaccine restored their quality of life. While we’re yet to look at the effect of this vaccine in different patient groups, this follow-up data suggests it could be a game changer for UTI prevention if it’s offered widely, reducing the need for antibiotic treatments.”
Developed by the Spain-based pharmaceutical company Immunotek, MV140 contains four bacterial species in a suspension with water.
The findings were presented at the 39th Annual European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Paris in early April.
