A Phase 2b, Double-blind, Randomized, Multi-site, Placebo-controlled Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety and Immunogenicity of Intramuscular HIL-214 Norovirus Vaccine in Healthy Children 5 Months of Age at Initial Vaccination

Noroviruses have emerged as the single most significant cause of gastroenteritis in both middle-high income countries and low resource settings worldwide. Those most at risk of severe illness include the very young, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Noroviruses are highly infectious, highly resistant to environmental conditions, and have multiple routes of transmission including person-to-person, food-borne and contaminated surfaces. Noroviruses can cause acute, mild to severe illness characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, fever, dehydration and abdominal pain, representing a significant burden to public health. The clinical presentation in adults and older children is similar. While mortality due to acute gastroenteritis (AGE) caused by norovirus in the pediatric population is rare in industrialized countries, it is more common in developing countries. Although potentially a cause for hospitalization in very young children, there are fewer cases during the first 6 months of life possibly due to the protection offered by maternal antibodies from trans-placental transfer and in breast milk. In addition, norovirus infections have significant socioeconomic impact on hospitals, schools, day care centers and other closed settings. As the burden of rotavirus in children decreases due to successful rotavirus vaccination programs in infants, norovirus infections are increasingly recognized as the primary cause of AGE in many countries around the world.