GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTC: GOVX), an Atlanta, GA-based biotechnology company developing human immunotherapies and vaccines against infectious diseases and cancer, provided an update on its development of a vaccine for prevention/control of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus.
GeoVax is using its GV-MVA-VLPTM vaccine platform and expertise to design and construct vaccine candidates using genetic sequences from the virus responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak originating in Wuhan, China.
David Dodd, GeoVax’s President and CEO, commented, “Safety, efficacy, and durability of protection (long-lasting) are the expected characteristics of our GV-MVA-VLPTM vaccine platform. Our platform has a demonstrated track record of safety in humans through our HIV vaccine program, and the preclinical testing results we’ve seen with our HIV, Ebola and Zika vaccines leads us to believe that our COVID-19 vaccine will demonstrate a similarly strong efficacy and durability profile.”
“We have initiated discussions and submitted applications with various U.S. and international funding agencies,” Mr. Dodd continued. “The seriousness of this global health crisis warrants a broad disbursement of funds in order to advance multiple vaccine approaches to human clinical studies. Just last week, I was in Washington, DC visiting with various members of Congress and their staffs to emphasize the critical need of funding and support behind our accelerated COVID-19 vaccine development program, and we look forward to advancing our program as rapidly as ethically possible. With appropriate and timely funding, our goal is to advance a vaccine candidate to human clinical trials before the end of this year…much faster than the typical 12-18 months normally expected.”
Mr. Dodd concluded, “We also continue to be in frequent communication with BravoVax, our vaccine development collaborator in Wuhan, China. Under our January letter of intent, and upon completion of a definitive agreement, BravoVax will provide testing and manufacturing support, as well as direct interactions with Chinese authorities, for a parallel regulatory pathway to what we will pursue in the United States.”
FinSMEs
19/03/2020