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IM

ImoVax rabies (Imovax)

✓ Approved

Servier · Vaccine · Vaccine

What is ImoVax rabies?

ImoVax rabies is a vaccine developed by Servier. It is approved for therapeutic indications via injectable (others) or intradermal injection or intramuscular (im) injection.

Drug Profile

Brand NamesImovax
CompanyServier
Drug ClassVaccine, Large Molecules
RouteInjectable (Others), Intradermal Injection, Intramuscular (IM) Injection
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Servier

Therapeutic Indications

ImoVax rabies is developed for 1 unique indication across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Infections and infestationsRabies✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedJournal of tropical medicine2026-08-25

Dog Bite Epidemiology and Postexposure Practices Among Dog Owners in Some Communities in the Upper West Region of Ghana.

Suu-Ire Richard Dery RD, Agyei Amos Sarpong AS, Alijata Issah Beninmie IB, Mensah Benjamin Tetteh BT et al.

Rabies remains a neglected tropical disease in northern Ghana, where dog bites are common, and postexposure prophylaxis access is limited. Community-level data on bite epidemiology and health-seeking practices are scarce. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 370 dog-owning households (1824 individuals) in Lawra and Jirapa municipalities, Upper West Region, using a multistage sampling approach. Three submunicipalities were randomly selected from each municipality, after which households were selected using systematic sampling. We captured lifetime dog bite history, postexposure practices and rabies prevention behaviours. Overall rabies awareness was high (Jirapa 97.6% and Lawra 77.0%). Lifetime household-level dog bite prevalence was significantly higher in Jirapa (44.1%) than in Lawra (20.5%). Postbite care was suboptimal: 38.4% of victims in Jirapa first sought traditional remedies compared to 17.2% in Lawra. Death after a bite was reported in 33.3% of Jirapa victims and 16.4% of Lawra victims. Family members reported symptoms suggestive of rabies in some of these cases; however, none were clinically or laboratory confirmed. Higher education was positively associated with safer practices (β = 0.78, p = 0.008), while initial reliance on traditional healers was inversely associated (β = -1.12, p = 0.005). Dog bites and probable rabies deaths are underreported in these municipalities. The heavy reliance on traditional medicine and low formal health-seeking highlight critical barriers to rabies elimination. Strengthening community-based surveillance, integrated traditional healer referral, and targeted radio-based health education in local languages are urgently needed.

PMID 42639245
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PubMedVeterinary world2026-08-24

Long-term evaluation of a zoned catch-neuter-vaccinate-release program integrating owner engagement and buffer zone strategies for humane dog population management and rabies control in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

Nanayakkara Chamith C, Wijayawardana Udaya Ayeshmantha UA, Jayasekara Arundi Aparnavi AA

Catch-neuter-vaccinate-release (CNVR) is recognized as a humane and sustainable strategy for controlling free-roaming dog populations and eliminating dog-mediated rabies. However, long-term evaluations incorporating spatial planning and community participation remain scarce. This study assessed a five-year zoned CNVR program integrating owner engagement and a peripheral buffer zone strategy in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, a religious heritage city affected by frequent puppy dumping and high densities of free-roaming dogs. From 2021 to 2025, sexually intact free-roaming dogs were captured along predefined routes with standardized effort, while owned dogs were voluntarily presented to clinics. The municipality was divided into three zones according to anthropogenic characteristics, and a surrounding buffer zone was progressively intensified. Population trends were analyzed using negative binomial regression models. A questionnaire survey conducted in 2025 evaluated anti-rabies vaccination (ARV) and sterilization coverage among owned dogs. Spatial and household-level factors influencing coverage were examined using generalized linear mixed models. The number of free-roaming dogs requiring sterilization declined from 1,368 in 2021 to 484 in 2025. Although annual declines in community dog counts per unit effort were not statistically significant, buffer zone interventions produced significant sex- and zone-specific effects, reducing male populations in zone 1 and female populations in zone 3. Owned dog numbers increased by 14.7% annually, primarily because female ownership increased by 24.1%. More than 78% of adult female dogs were sterilized. Questionnaire responses from 1,123 participants showed that 94.2% and 83.1% of owned dogs within and outside the municipality, respectively, had received at least one ARV, while annual vaccination coverage was 74.2% and 68.9%, respectively. Household-level analyses demonstrated that geographic location, rather than the number of dogs per household, explained most of the variation in vaccination and sterilization coverage, identifying several low-coverage locations that require targeted interventions. A strategically zoned CNVR program incorporating owner participation and a boundary-sealing buffer zone effectively promoted humane management of the dog population and improved rabies control. Spatially targeted interventions and continued vaccination and sterilization campaigns are essential for achieving sustainable elimination of dog-mediated rabies in culturally complex urban environments.

PMID 42634835
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PubMedInternational medical case reports journal2026-08-23

Suspected Paralytic Rabies in an 8 Years 6 Months Old Boy Following Incomplete Post-Exposure Prophylaxis in Rural North Eastern Uganda: A Case Report.

Ochora Moses M, Engoru Charles E CE, Emuron Joseph J, Akello Fridah F et al.

Rabies is still a public health concern, especially in low resource settings with poor animal health management, stock out of rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin. Only 20% of patients present with paralytic rabies and it is at times difficult to distinguish from Guillain-Barre syndrome. In malaria endemic areas, rabies may have atypical presentation. Rabies encephalitis is almost always fatal. We report an 8‑year‑and‑6‑month‑old African boy from Katakwi district in North Eastern Uganda who presented with headache, fever and waist pain followed by progressive lower‑limb weakness 28 days after a bite by a stray dog. There was no trauma, and he had no signs of meningeal irritation. He received anti-rabies vaccine on day 0.7 and 16 but did not get rabies immunoglobulin. He received supportive care including intravenous fluids and antibiotics at the hospital and died 7 days after the onset of symptoms. Paralytic rabies in children can be fatal even after vaccination, especially if rabies immunoglobulin is not given when there is a high risk exposure. There are also diagnostic challenges if there is an atypical presentation, particularly in children. Health system gaps around animal health can lead to preventable deaths from rabies.

PMID 42633422
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PubMedBioactive materials2026-08-23

Therapeutic potential and underlying mechanisms of engineered young plasma-derived exosomes in Alzheimer's disease.

Chen Hang H, Si Yuanquan Y, Cheng Qian Q, Yu Qian Q et al.

Exosomes (EXOs) derived from the plasma of young individuals are believed to have the potential to ameliorate aging-related memory deficits. However, their specific roles and mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy have not yet been systematically investigated. In this study, the rabies virus glycoprotein-targeting peptide (RVG-29) was conjugated to the surface of young plasma-derived EXOs to construct RVG-engineered EXOs (RVG-EXOs), and their therapeutic potential and underlying mechanisms in AD models were systematically evaluated. In 3×Tg AD model mice, exogenous administration of young plasma-derived EXOs and their engineered product (RVG-EXOs) revealed that RVG-EXOs could more efficiently enter brain tissue and target neurons, significantly reduce Aβ plaque and phosphorylated Tau (P-Tau) pathological deposition, restore synaptic structure, promote neuronal survival, and improve cognitive behavior. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that RVG-EXOs inhibited RPTOR expression, thereby activating the autophagy pathway and promoting the clearance of pathological proteins. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that overexpression of RPTOR significantly suppressed the therapeutic effects of RVG-EXOs. single-cell transcriptomic profiling further revealed that RVG-EXOs not only increased neuronal proportion and modulated excitatory/inhibitory neuronal balance but also reshaped the microglial landscape by reducing deleterious disease-associated while increasing homeostatic surveillant microglia. In summary, this study not only reveals for the first time the potential value of young plasma-derived EXOs in AD treatment but also, through RVG engineering strategies and the elucidation of the RPTOR-autophagy mechanism, provides new insights for targeted therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID 42633398
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PubMedAngewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)2026-08-22

Optimizing Functional-Domain Integrity of Circular Ribonucleic Acid With Improved Vaccine Immunogenicity by circDesign Algorithm.

Xu Congcong C, Jiang Fan F, Jiang Yifan Y, Wang Weiyun W et al.

Synthetic circular mRNA (hereafter referred to as circRNA) reduces susceptibility to exonuclease-mediated degradation by its covalently closed circular structure, enabling prolonged protein expression for therapeutic applications. In this circular format, protein expression from engineered circRNAs is achieved mainly through cap-independent translation initiation, commonly mediated by internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements whose activity is influenced by RNA structure. Consequently, the coding sequence (CDS) and other elements should be designed with consideration of inter-region base pairing that can shift IRES folding, a constraint not explicitly addressed by existing linear mRNA CDS optimization algorithms. Here, we present circDesign, an algorithm that explicitly incorporates IRES structural deviation into circRNA sequence design while jointly optimizing codon adaptation and thermodynamic stability. In a rabies virus glycoprotein (RABV-G) vaccine model, circDesign-generated circRNAs showed improved stability, translation efficiency, and vaccine immunogenicity compared with benchmark sequences optimized using conventional linear mRNA CDS design strategies, with CR3 achieving a 3.5-fold increase in neutralizing antibody titers. Polysome profiling and targeted IRES-disruption experiments support IRES structural integrity as a critical determinant of circRNA translation performance. Together, these results establish IRES structural preservation as a mechanistic design principle for circRNA engineering and position circDesign as a rational framework for therapeutic circRNA development.

PMID 42631383
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PubMedCureus2026-08-21

Paralytic Rabies Encephalomeningomyelitis: A Tale of Two Cases With Emphasis on Imaging Findings and Relevant Literature Review.

Kedar Ketki K, Patel Ami V AV, Ratnaparkhi Chetana C, Dhok Avinash A et al.

Imaging documentation of rabies encephalitis remains rare because of the progressive and fatal course of the disease. We present two cases of paralytic rabies encephalomeningomyelitis, showing varied imaging findings, one in a two-year-old girl whose magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) illustrated typical features, and another case of a 65-year-old female with atypical MRI findings. These two cases emphasize that classical rabies shows predominant grey-matter involvement, whereas an atypical presentation, particularly in elderly patients with underlying comorbidities, shows a predilection for white matter, in contrast to the typical form. The identification of this varied imaging spectrum is crucial for prompt diagnosis, especially in endemic zones. The rarity of antemortem neuroimaging in rabies, with detailed documentation of typical and atypical cases, enriches the limited diagnostic literature and improves early recognition of the disease's imaging spectrum.

PMID 42626078
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