Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Vical Incorporated ( NASDAQ: VICL ) announces encouraging Pandemic Influenza Vaccine phase I results

Vical Incorporated
Vical Announces Encouraging H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Phase 1 Results

SAN DIEGO, April 27, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq:VICL) announced today that more than half of the subjects in the Phase 1 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 U.S. government funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center (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, Ph.D., Vical's Vice President of Vaccine Research. "The encouraging results of our Phase 1 clinical testing of our H1N1 vaccine, coupled with the successful Phase 1 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."

About Vical

Vical researches and develops biopharmaceutical products based on its patented DNA delivery technologies for the prevention and treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases. Potential applications of the company's DNA delivery technology include DNA vaccines for infectious diseases or cancer, in which the expressed protein is an immunogen; cancer immunotherapeutics, in which the expressed protein is an immune system stimulant; and cardiovascular therapies, in which the expressed protein is an angiogenic growth factor. The company is developing certain infectious disease vaccines and cancer therapeutics internally. In addition, the company collaborates with major pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies that give it access to complementary technologies or greater resources. These strategic partnerships provide the company with mutually beneficial opportunities to expand its product pipeline and address significant unmet medical needs. Additional information on Vical is available at www.vical.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Risks and uncertainties include whether Vical will receive all, if any, of the U.S. government funding; whether funding will be sufficient to complete the planned preparatory efforts; whether Vical or others will continue development of any emerging disease vaccine candidates; whether the company's Vaxfectin®adjuvant will be used in any future vaccine candidates; whether future infectious diseases will emerge, and if so, whether DNA vaccines will be successfully applied against them; whether any other DNA vaccine candidates will be shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials; the timing, nature and cost of clinical trials; whether Vical will further extend its collaboration with the U.S. government; whether the neutralizing antibodies generated in the Phase 1 trial of the H1N1 vaccine will provide protection against the disease; whether Vical or its collaborative partners will seek or gain approval to market any product candidates; whether Vical or its collaborative partners will succeed in marketing any product candidates; and additional risks set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements represent the company's judgment as of the date of this release. The company disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Source Vical Incorporated.

We have give an update about an unusual price movement in the stock and started tracking it for any positive news and developments. We will keep updating news related to company.

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