-=VBI Vaccines (VBIV)

The company was formerly known as SciVac Therapeutics Inc. and changed its name to VBI Vaccines Inc. in May 2016.
Sector: Healthcare

• Industry: Biotechnology
• Full Time Employees: 123
• HQ in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• http://www.vbivaccines.com

In March, VBI Vaccines announced that it was collaborating with the National Research Council of Canada to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine candidate. This vaccine would target not only COVID-19 but also two other members of the coronavirus family -- severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

This vaccine candidate is currently only in preclinical testing. VBI Vaccines has stated that "clinical study materials" are expected to be available for use in clinical studies in the fourth quarter of this year. However, it's uncertain when clinical trials will begin for the company's pan-coronavirus vaccine candidate.

VBI's lead pipeline candidate is hepatitis B vaccine Sci-B-Vac, which is already approved for sale in Israel. VBI hopes to start filing for regulatory approvals in other countries, including the U.S., in the fourth quarter of this year. If all goes well, Sci-B-Vac could become only the second hepatitis B vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration in more than 25 years.