Promise of Vical's CMV Vaccine Noted by Independe...( SAN DIEGO June 5 /- In an editori...),Health

SAN DIEGO, June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In an editorial commentary(1) in the current issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases (JID), independent experts on cytomegalovirus (CMV) said the vaccine under development by Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq: VICL), at the optimal dose and regimen tested, "holds promise" based on its ability to elicit persistent immune responses in a majority of CMV-seronegative subjects, and warrants further evaluation for its potential to prevent infection and disease. The commentary accompanies the issue's lead article(2), which expands on previously reported immunogenicity data from a Phase 1 study of the immunotherapeutic DNA vaccine.

The senior author on the JID article, Michael J. Boeckh, M.D., said, "Despite antiviral drug therapies, CMV infection continues to be a problem in the transplant setting. CMV immunity appears to play a critical role in controlling viral load and disease in these patients. The ability to stimulate CMV immunity with vaccination may have an important role in the management of CMV infection and disease in transplant patients. Clinical trials are ongoing to test this strategy."

Dr. Boeckh, Associate Member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Associate Professor at the University of Washington, also is an investigator in Vical's current Phase 2 trial, a double-blind, placebo- controlled study designed to compare safety of the vaccine against placebo in approximately 80 patients scheduled for hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Because most recipients are expected to face a natural viral challenge as pre- existing CMV infection reactivates under immunosuppression, this trial will examine the vaccine's impact on important clinical parameters such as antivira
'/>"/>