Lower urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infection, affecting half of all women and one in five men. In addition, they can be painful and uncomfortable, since between 20 and 30% of cases develop recurrent infections that require short-term antibiotic treatment. With the increase in antibiotic-resistant UTIs and the decreasing effectiveness of medications, new forms of prevention and treatment for these infections are needed.
New research reveals that an oral spray vaccine could prevent recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) in more than half of patients for up to nine years, offering a potential alternative to antibiotic treatments. Preliminary results from the first long-term follow-up study on the safety and efficacy of the MV140 vaccine for recurrent UTIs were presented this weekend at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Paris.
The research has been carried out by clinicians at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the United Kingdom to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the MV140 vaccine in 89 patients originally treated privately at The Urology Partnership in Reading. Data indicate that 54% of study participants, both men and women with recurrent UTIs, were infection-free for nine years after receiving the vaccine, with no significant side effects reported. The full results of the study are expected to be published in late 2024.
MV140, the vaccine for recurrent UTIs that is administered orally
MV140 is an innovative vaccine for recurrent UTIs and is administered as two sprays of a pineapple-flavored suspension under the tongue every day for three months. Although the short-term safety and efficacy of MV140 have been previously studied, this is the first long-term follow-up study to be reported globally.
Dr Bob Yang, consultant urologist at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and co-leader of the research, said: “Before receiving the vaccine, all of our participants suffered from recurrent UTIs, with these being especially difficult for many women to treat. “About half of the participants remained infection-free nine years after receiving this new UTI vaccine.” “Overall, this vaccine has been shown to be safe in the long term and our participants reported having fewer UTIs that were less severe. Many of those who contracted a UTI told us that drinking plenty of water was enough to treat it.”
“This is a very easy vaccine to administer and GPs could administer it in a 3-month cycle. Many of our participants told us that receiving the vaccine restored their quality of life. While we have yet to analyze the effect of this vaccine in different patient groups, these follow-up data suggest it could be a game-changer for UTI prevention if widely offered, reducing the need for antibiotic treatments.”
In their original trial, patients were initially followed for 12 months and data from the women in the cohort was published in BJU International in 2017. For their nine-year follow-up study, the researchers analyzed data from the electronic health records of his original cohort. They interviewed participants about their experience with UTIs since receiving the vaccine and asked them about side effects.
54% of study participants, both men and women with recurrent UTIs, had no infections for nine years after receiving the vaccine, with no significant side effects reported.
Participants in the trial were over 18 years old and free of UTIs when they were initially offered the vaccine. None of the participants had other urinary abnormalities such as catheters, tumors or stones. The follow-up study included 72 women and 17 men, and the results were self-reported. Of these participants, 48 remained completely free of infection during the nine-year follow-up. The average infection-free period in 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 receiving repeat doses of the vaccine after one to two years.
Gernot Bonkat, Professor of Urology at the Alta Uro Medical Center for Urology in Switzerland and Chairman of the EAU Guidelines Committee on Urological Infections, said: “These findings are promising. Recurrent UTIs represent a substantial economic burden and the overuse of Antibiotic treatments can lead to antibiotic-resistant infections. “This follow-up study provides encouraging data on the long-term safety and efficacy of the MV140 vaccine. More research on more complex UTIs, as well as studies in different patient groups, is needed to better optimize the use of this vaccine.”
Developed by Spain-based pharmaceutical company Immunotek, MV140 contains four bacterial species in a suspension with water. It is available without a license in 26 countries. MV140 is a new vaccine for recurrent urinary tract infections and is administered as two sprays of a pineapple-flavored suspension under the tongue every day for three months. While researchers have previously studied the short-term safety and efficacy of MV140, this is the first long-term follow-up study to be conducted globally. “Although we must be pragmatic, this vaccine represents a potential advance in the prevention of UTIs and could offer a safe and effective alternative to conventional treatments,” concludes Bonkat.
