Oral vaccine prevents recurring UTIs for nine years

Over the past decade, a new oral vaccine has helped prevent recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). A clinical trial showed that pineapple-flavored vaccine spray helped 53.9% of people stay UTI-free for nine years.

Urinary tract infection is one of the most common bladder infections and disproportionately affects women.about 40% to 60% of women experience at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetime, and one in four women are susceptible to repeat infections. Urinary tract infections are usually treated with antibiotics. However, this carries the risk of antibiotic resistance, making these drugs less effective when used repeatedly.

As an alternative, researchers developed the MV140 vaccine, which contains four inactivated bacteria that cause urinary tract infections. The dissolved vaccine is sprayed under the tongue every day for three months, passing through the soft mucosa in the mouth and stimulating lymphoid tissue, a component of the immune system.

The latest clinical trial, announced at the European Association of Urology Congress in Paris on April 6, is the first to show the long-term effectiveness of the MV140 vaccine.Study authors have previously reported the vaccine’s short-term effectiveness three months and six months. The researchers tracked medical records and conducted regular follow-up visits with 89 participants who received the vaccine in 2014. All participants had a history of urinary tract infections, but none developed during the three-month vaccination period.

After completing the spray treatment, people remained infection-free for an average of 54.7 months. More than half (54% of women and 53% of men) had not had a UTI for nine years.

“People with urinary tract infections have a mild case, just drink a lot of water, and feel fine,” says Bob Yang One of the study’s co-authors works at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the UK.

One issue, however, is the size of the study. S. Adam Laming About half of women will develop a urinary tract infection in their lifetime, according to California Urology Cancer Specialists. By comparison, only 54% of women who received the vaccine avoided urinary tract infections over the entire nine-year study period. This is “in the range of insignificant differences in such a small sample group,” he said.

Previously, another team tried producing a UTI vaccine in tablet form. But Young said one of the appeals of using the spray is that people are more likely to take it. “It’s not a pill, it’s a spray under the tongue that helps with compliance,” Young explains. The pineapple flavor can help people forget they’re taking medication, he said, and the spray is easier for older adults who have trouble swallowing medications.