U.S. Navy to Fund Vical's H1N1 Pandemic Influenza (Swine Flu) Vaccine


SAN DIEGO, Oct. 1, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq:VICL) announced today that the U.S. Navy has awarded a contract for $1.25 million to support large-scale cGMP vaccine manufacturing and related clinical and regulatory preparations, which are already underway, for a Phase 1 clinical trial of the company's vaccine against A/H1N1 pandemic influenza (swine flu). The trial will be conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), a biomedical research organization within the Navy.

"The current threat from H1N1 influenza and the potential for other future pandemics from strains like H5N1 call for a proactive approach to developing new vaccine technologies, such as DNA vaccines, that can be deployed rapidly," said Vijay B. Samant, Vical's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are pleased with the Navy's vision in funding this important vaccine development program, which can benefit from their experience and capability to advance this program to the next stage."

As previously announced, Vical was the first company to produce a vaccine against the A/H1N1 influenza virus after the initial reports of widespread outbreaks in Mexico, and the first to announce robust immunogenicity results from animal testing in two species. Within days of the outbreaks, the company entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NMRC to conduct clinical testing of an H1 DNA vaccine formulated with Vical's patented Vaxfectin(R) adjuvant.