Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (INO)

[Ubertino]

Dr. J. Joseph Kim, Inovio President and CEO, said, “Inovio is utilizing our versatile immunotherapy and vaccine platform to target and develop the most advanced preventive vaccine for MERS, a virulent viral infection with no medical countermeasure. This trial further demonstrates Inovio’s commitment to fighting emerging viral threats while also continuing to validate consistent high levels of both immune and antibody responses across our infectious disease platform. We look forward to continuing this development in a partnership with GeneOne and CEPI for developing novel therapies for MERS.”

In April 2018, Inovio was awarded $56 million to develop a MERS vaccine through Phase 2 by The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The shared goal of Inovio and CEPI is for the MERS vaccine to be available for stockpile as soon as possible for emergency use. The CEPI funding also included support for Inovio’s vaccine against the Lassa virus.

In collaboration with GeneOne Life Science, Inovio plans to begin a Phase 1/2 study for MERS in the third quarter of this year. The study will be conducted by GeneOne Life Science in Korea and fully funded by a $34 million grant from the Samsung Foundation through the International Vaccine Institute.