Safety and immunogenicity of PIKA-adjuvanted recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit vaccine as a booster against SARSCoV-2: a phase II, open-label, randomized, double-blinded study

Purpose: This study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of the PIKA-adjuvanted recombinant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein subunit vaccine as a booster dose for healthy adults who had previously received two or more doses of an inactivated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Materials and Methods: The study was a phase II multicenter, double-blinded, comparator- controlled, randomized trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the PIKA COVID-19 vaccine booster dose or an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine (Sinovac, China). Safety was assessed based on adverse events, while immunogenicity was measured by neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels. Data on safety and immunogenicity were collected in the short-term (within 14 days after the booster dose) and long-term (from 90 to 365 days after the booster dose). Results: The PIKA-adjuvanted vaccine demonstrated a significant increase in neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant (geometric mean ratio [GMR]= 2.0 on day 7, p-value <0.001; GMR= 2.7 on day 14, p-value <0.001) and the wild type SARS-CoV-2 virus (GMR= 2.3 on day 7, p-value <0.001; GMR= 2.8 on day 14, p-value <0.001) in the early post-vaccination period when compared to the inactivated vaccine. Additionally, the PIKA COVID-19 vaccine showed higher seroconversion rates for neutralizing antibodies against both variants during the first 14 days post-vaccination. However, there were no significant differences in neutralizing antibody levels between the two vaccines from day 90 to day 360 post-vaccination. Serum IgG antibody levels for the PIKA COVID-19 vaccine were also higher throughout the study period. The incidence of adverse events was slightly higher in the PIKA COVID-19 group, with the most common events being pain at the injection site and headache. All adverse events were mild or moderate, with no reports of severe or life-threatening adverse events in either group. Conclusion: The PIKA COVID-19 vaccine, when administered as a booster dose, showed promising short- and long-term immunogenicity with no emergent safety issues identified. The booster dose of the PIKA COVID-19 vaccine elicited a robust immune response against various SARS-CoV-2 variants and provided some seroprotection for up to 360 days