Inovio Biomedical Corporation (INO) said Monday that its partner Tripep AB reported additional interim results from its ongoing phase I/II clinical study of its ChronVac - C therapeutic DNA vaccine that is delivered using Inovio's electroporation-based DNA delivery system.
ChronVac - C is a therapeutic vaccine given to individuals affected with the hepatitis C virus with the objective of clearing the infection from the liver by boosting the body's immune response against the virus.
In the current clinical study of the vaccine, 12 patients were enrolled and divided into three groups with varying doses of ChronVac - C. Each patient would receive four vaccinations one month apart. After the last vaccination, the patient would be followed for another six months.
The study is designed to assess safety and also to check whether the treatment boosts the immune response and its effect on virus replication in the liver. A patient is considered cured if he/she is completely virus-free after six months.
The preliminary results reported, were from the first two patients in the intermediate dose group. Samples taken before, during and after treatment showed that the viral levels in blood decreased up to 87% and 98% respectively, during treatment. Simultaneous activation of the patients' T-cell response to the hepatitis C virus was recorded in conjunction with the viral load reductions.
Avtar Dhillon, Inovio's president and chief executive officer, said that unlike existing treatments that are hard on patients and often being described as being similar to chemotherapy, their therapy was producing positive results without chemotherapy-like side effects.
INO closed Friday's regular trading session at $1.00. For the past 52-weeks, the stock has been trading in the range of $0.50 - $3.22.
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