Vical Incorporated announced that more than half of the subjects in the phase I trial of the company's Vaxfectin-formulated vaccine for H1N1 pandemic influenza generated neutralizing antibodies of the type expected to provide protection against the disease. The vaccine was well-tolerated. Vical was the first company to manufacture a vaccine against the H1N1 influenza virus and the first to conduct animal testing during the 2009 outbreaks, and these latest results demonstrated the safety and immunogenicity of that same vaccine in humans.

The trial was supported by US government funding from the Defence Threat Reduction Agency and the US Naval Medical Research Centre (NMRC), and was conducted in collaboration with NMRC. Vical announced in February that it had extended its relationship with NMRC to develop the company's platform technology for the rapid development and production of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases. With additional funding under the extended relationship, Vical will work with NMRC under this contract to establish systems and procedures for the application of Vical's DNA delivery technology, with the goal of protecting military personnel from the threat of new pathogens in the early stages of outbreaks.

“We clearly demonstrated the speed and safety of our approach during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza outbreaks,” said Larry R Smith, PhD, Vical's vice president of Vaccine Research. “The encouraging results of our phase I clinical testing of our H1N1 vaccine, coupled with the successful phase I clinical testing of our H5N1 avian-origin influenza vaccine, provide further validation for both our vaccine platform and our Vaxfectin adjuvant. Through our collaboration with NMRC, we are working toward establishing an emerging disease vaccine platform to provide rapid protection against novel pathogens, initially for military personnel and eventually for the broader population.”

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