An update on safety and immunogenicity of vaccines containing emulsion-based adjuvants

Abstract

With the exception of alum, emulsion-based vaccine adjuvants have been administered to far more people than any other adjuvant, especially since the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. The number of clinical safety and immunogenicity evaluations of vaccines containing emulsion adjuvants has correspondingly mushroomed. In this review, the authors introduce emulsion adjuvant composition and history before detailing the most recent findings from clinical and postmarketing data regarding the effects of emulsion adjuvants on vaccine immunogenicity and safety, with emphasis on the most widely distributed emulsion adjuvants, MF59® and AS03. The authors also present a summary of other emulsion adjuvants in clinical development and indicate promising avenues for future emulsion-based adjuvant development. Overall, emulsion adjuvants have demonstrated potent adjuvant activity across a number of disease indications along with acceptable safety profiles.

Keywords::

• adjuvant safety and immunogenicity
• AS03
• emulsion
• MF59

Financial & competing interests disclosure

CB Fox is an employee of IDRI, which is developing the SE adjuvant and related formulations such as GLA-SE. CB Fox was also supported in part with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, under grant number 42387. J Haensler is an employee of Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine branch of Sanofi, which developed the AF03 adjuvant and the adjuvanted H1N1 influenza vaccine, Humenza®. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.