Vical Pandemic Influenza Vaccines Achieve T-Cell Responses and Cross-Clade Reactivity...( LAS VEGAS Dec. 11 /- Vical Incorporat...),Health

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq: VICL) today announced that the company's Vaxfectin(R)-formulated H5N1 pandemic influenza DNA vaccines induced T-cell responses against a matching strain of influenza virus and demonstrated cross-clade antibody responses against a different strain in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The company previously reported that the vaccines had achieved potentially protective levels of antibody responses in up to 67% of evaluable subjects in the trial's higher dose cohorts. Vical researchers presented the expanded data, as well as new nonclinical data from the company's RapidResponse(TM) DNA vaccine manufacturing program, this week at the DNA Vaccines 2008 Conference (Las Vegas - December 9-11).

H5N1 Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Phase 1 Trial Update

New data presented at the conference indicates that the company's monovalent Vaxfectin(R)-formulated H5N1 pandemic influenza DNA vaccine induced T-cell responses against the H5 antigen in 75% to 100% of evaluable subjects in the various cohorts. T-cell responses could be important in protecting against serious disease and in limiting the spread of disease during an outbreak.

The monovalent vaccine, which was based on the H5N1 influenza virus strain, A/Vietnam/1203/04, also induced antibody responses against the H5N1 influenza virus strain, A/Hong Kong/156/97 from a different clade, in 50% of responders. Cross-clade responses could be important in providing protection against emerging strains of influenza before a matching vaccine could be deployed.

Antibody and/or T-cell responses against the matching H5 antigen
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