Vical starts phase 1 study of prime-boost vaccine for HIV

By Lisa Kerner

Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 22 - Vical Inc. began a phase 1 clinical trial of a prime-boost vaccine approach designed to prevent or control disease in patients already infected with HIV, according to a company news release.

In the National Institutes of Health-sponsored trial, an immune response is primed with multiple doses of a plasmid DNA vaccine and boosted with a single dose of adenoviral vector vaccine given at a later date.

The vaccine, developed at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and manufactured by Vical, incorporates HIV genetic material from the HIV subtypes, clades A, B and C, found in about 85% of all HIV infections worldwide.

Vical said the same vaccine is being tested in a preventive setting through a multinational phase 2 trial.

"A post-infection vaccine that would allow the immune system to suppress viral loads could provide significant benefits both to prevent disease symptoms in the individual and potentially to reduce disease transmission between individuals," president and chief executive officer Vijay B. Samant said in the release.

A phase 1 trial in HIV-uninfected subjects showed that the prime-boost approach was well-tolerated and produced potent cellular and antibody immune responses, including specific responses against each of the HIV subtypes.

Vical researches and develops biopharmaceutical products based on its patented DNA delivery technologies for the prevention and treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases.

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