euro adhoc: Intercell AG
other
Development of the next generation Flu
vaccines commenced -
Phase I for Influenza vaccine adjuvanted with Intercell´s IC31TM started
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
Research & Development
18.06.2007
» Phase I clinical trial for a superior seasonal Influenza vaccine formulated with IC31TM started
» The vaccine will be tested in three different dose groups - primary endpoints of the study include safety and immunogenicity with a strong focus on T-cell responses
» First results of the study are expected in early 2008
» Currently available vaccines are suboptimal, especially in vulnerable risk groups (elderly and infants) - high market potential for novel, adjuvanted vaccine products with broader protection
Vienna (Austria), June 18, 2007 - Vaccine company Intercell AG (VSE: ICLL) announced today the start of Phase I clinical trials for a seasonal Flu vaccine which is formulated with Intercell´s proprietary adjuvant IC31TM.
The currently available, mostly non-adjuvanted vaccine products have a suboptimal efficacy profile, especially in the population groups with the highest disease burden (elderly and infants). Furthermore, these vaccines only offer limited cross-protection against other influenza strains, with no or low T-cell responses. Due to these limitations, novel vaccines with improved efficacy and T-cell immunity are needed.
The IC31TM adjuvanted Flu vaccine is expected to overcome these shortcomings, which would be also desired for pre-pandemic vaccines.
Preclinical animal models already showed that the vaccine could increase Haemaglutinin titers and specific T-cell responses significantly. Furthermore, the presence of IC31 induces very long-lasting and high levels of Flu-specific T-cells as well as IgG2a, both markers for an immune response known to improve and broaden protection from Influenza infections.
In this Phase I trial, a single dose of the IC31TM adjuvanted Flu vaccine will be applied to healthy volunteers. Three different dose groups (no IC31TM - low IC31TM - high IC31TM) will be tested. The primary endpoints of the study comprise the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine at day 21.
"Both the encouraging preclinical data and the outstanding immunogenicity profile in humans have opened a new and attractive market for our adjuvant IC31TM in the development of vaccines. With this study, an important development step for the next generation Influenza vaccines has begun", stated Gerd Zettlmeissl, CEO of Intercell.
About IC31TM
Adjuvants enhance the effectiveness of vaccines. Existing adjuvants on the market induce antibodies but no or little T-cell immunity. IC31TM is an adjuvant inducing both T-cell and B-cell responses with a unique synthetic formulation, which combines the immunostimulating properties of an anti-microbial peptide, KLK, and an immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotide, ODN1a. The two-component solution can simply be mixed with antigens: no conjugation is required.
end of announcement euro adhoc 18.06.2007 17:58:28
Further inquiry note:
Intercell AG
Mag. Katharina Wieser
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel. +43 1 20620-303
kwieser@intercell.com
Branche: Biotechnology
ISIN: AT0000612601
WKN: A0D8HW
Börsen: Wiener Börse AG / official market