Hepatitis C vaccine; Inovio partner ChronTech Pharma begins phase 2 trial

Inovio Pharmaceuticals' partner ChronTech Pharma begins phase 2 trial for hepatitis C vaccine
9:57 am
by Deborah Sterescu

Inovio's partner ChronTech to begin phase 2b study for hepatitis C vaccine using Inovio's electroportation delivery system Vaccine developer Inovio Pharmaceuticals (AMEX: INO) said Monday that its partner, ChronTech Pharma, has begun a phase IIb clinical trial for a hepatitis C DNA vaccine delivered through Inovio's electroportation technology.

Hepatitis C is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the US, where roughly 3.5 million people have been affected. About 300 million people have been infected worldwide.

ChronTech's phase I study for the ChronVac-C DNA therapeutic vaccine, in combination with Inovio's delivery method, showed a "robust" increase in T-cell immune responses against hepatitis C, and was also safe and well-tolerated, Inovio said. T-cells belong to a group of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, and play a central role in the body's immune system.

After the trial, patients were given standard-of-care treatment for the virus, and 70% of participants showed a complete and rapid viral response. Moreover, 83% of participants who were monitored for an extended period of time were free of the virus six months after they completed the standard-of-care treatment.

“If we can repeat the Phase I results in this phase IIb study there is certainly a possibility that vaccination with ChronVac-C® before drug therapy could become a part of the standard of care therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C-virus infection," said CEO of ChronTech, Anders Vahlne.

The phase II study will follow on from the first trial, further exploring the effects of the vaccine in 32 patients. The combination therapy will be administered two times in 20 patients, while the 12 patient comparison group will receive standard-of-care treatment alone.

DNA vaccines are designed to generate broader, cross-protective immune responses across different virus strains, unlike existing vaccines that must be matched to a specific serotype. When used to deliver DNA vaccines, Inovio's electroportation systems can increase levels of immune responses by 100 times or more compared to DNA delivered without other delivery enhancements.