Inovio to start human trials of Ebola vaccine
24/09/2014 16:28
Sept 24 (Reuters) - Vaccine developer Inovio Pharmaceuticals
Inc INO.O said the company and its partner GeneOne Life
Science Inc 011000.KS will start testing its experimental
Ebola vaccine in humans in the first half of 2015.
Inovio's shares were up 7 percent at $10.48 in late morning
trading on the Nasdaq.
Inovio said animal studies showed that vaccinated guinea
pigs and mice survived after being exposed to the deadly virus.
ID:nPn79GzRP
The studies showed that the experimental vaccine could also
benefit the patients by protecting them from weight loss, apart
from fighting the virus.
Drug and vaccine companies are racing to conduct clinical
trials of potential treatments for Ebola since the latest
outbreak of the virus in South Africa.
The worst Ebola outbreak on record is now projected to
infect as many as 20,000 people in West Africa by November.
Two other vaccine candidates in development are from
GlaxoSmithKline Plc GSK.L and NewLink Genetics Corp NLNK.O .
Other potential treatments in development are ZMapp by Mapp
Biopharmaceutical Inc and AVI 7537 by Sarepta Therapeutics Inc
SRPT.O .
Canada's Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp TKM.TO TKMR.O said
on Monday that its experimental Ebola treatment got authorized
by U.S. and Canadian health regulators for use in patients.
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On successful completion of the early-stage study, Inovio
and GeneOne will look for another partner to take the
development forward, Inovio said.
(Reporting by Vidya L Nathan in Bangalore; Editing by Maju
Samuel)
((vidya.loganathan@thomsonreuters.com;; within U.S. +1 646 223
8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800;; Reuters Messaging:
vidya.loganathan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: HEALTH EBOLA/TRIALS