As reported June 20, 2016, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received Food and Drug Administration approval to begin human testing of its experimental Zika vaccine being developed to prevent Zika virus infections.
The Plymouth Meeting-based biopharmaceutical company is developing the Zika vaccine in a partnership with GeneOne Life Science Inc. of Seoul, South Korea. The two companies are also working with academic collaborators from the United States and Canada with whom they have previously collaborated to advance Inovio’s Ebola and MERS vaccines into clinical development.
In preclinical testing the synthetic Zika vaccine induced robust antibody and T cell responses in small and large animal models, demonstrating the product’s potential to prevent Zika infections in humans.
Dr. J. Joseph Kim, the president and CEO of Inovio (NASDAQ: INO), said as of May 2016, 58 countries and territories reported continuing mosquito-borne transmission of the Zika virus, justifying development of a Zika vaccine.
“The incidences of viral infection and medical conditions caused by the virus are expanding, not contracting,” Kim said.
Inovio expects to dose its first subjects for phase-I clinical trials, which will test the Zika vaccine candidate in 40 health volunteers, within the next few weeks at multiple sites including Philadelphia. The company’s plan is to report interim results later this year.
No Zika vaccine or therapy currently exists for the Zika virus.
The Zika virus was first identified in Uganda. It is classified as a flavivirus— a family of viruses including yellow fever, dengue, and West Nile virus, which are introduced to people through mosquito bites.
Because the Aedes species of mosquitoes that spreads Zika virus is found throughout the world, health officials are concerned that Zika will continue to spread to new countries and regions. Zika can also be sexually transmitted.
The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis.
The virus has also been linked to a severe birth defect called microcephaly which arises from infection during pregnancy. Microcephaly is a rare condition marked by an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development.
Zika is also associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which causes muscle weakness of the limbs and in severe cases may cause almost total paralysis including the inability to breath.
No vaccine or therapy currently exists for the Zika virus. (1)
The science behind a depopulation agenda
Recently, a company called INOVIO has been given a $45 million contract by DARPA, the research arm of the Dept of Defence, to pursue Ebola vaccines and the methods of delivery. They were also given a $28 million grant by the N.I.H.
The company has been given awards for a new start up company, but, this company has a long history with links to government agencies, pioneers of DNA technology and many Pharmaceutical companies.
Reported as being a new start up company.
And yet has been involved in the Industry since 2000 http://www.economist.com/node/17258858
Curiously, no mention of Inovio in the VGX history, although it clearly states that the company was created by Kim and Weiner.