Strong animal data for Vaxgen's smallpox vacc

California, USA-based VaxGen has reported encouraging non-clinical data from a study of its attenuated smallpox vaccine candidate, LC16m8. In the trial, all animals innoculated with US drug major Wyeth's Dryvax (smallpox vaccine, dried, calf lymph type) died within seven days after intrathalamic inoculation. In contrast, all animals that received LC16m8 survived for the duration of the study.

VaxGen is developing the agent for use in the USA and elsewhere in partnership with the Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute of Kumamoto, Japan, its licensed manufacturer.

The vaccine was initially developed and licensed in Japan to address the need for a smallpox vaccine that was safer than but as effective as conventional, unattenuated vaccines. LC16m8 is administered in Japan as a single dose at the surface of the skin, not by injection. Studies involving approximately 50,000 children were conducted in that country, where the vaccine is currently approved and manufactured commercially.