Additional preliminary results from preclinical tests in small animals on Viprovex in conjunction with Tamiflu (Roche’s FDA-approved influenza prophylactic and treatment) show that treating subjects with both Viprovex and Tamiflu protect lungs against the damaging inflammatory effect of influenza infection more successfully than treating with Tamiflu alone.
The adjuvant studies examined the effect of Viprovex administered as an adjuvant to CadVax-based pandemic influenza vaccines in development at GenPhar. The studies revealed the ability of intranasal Viprovex to speed up the immune response and enhance the breadth of neutralizing activity in animals vaccinated with GenPhar’s flu vaccine.
“These are desirable features of a modern vaccine adjuvant in providing early and broad protections in a flu pandemic scenario,” said Dr David Holman, who led the multi-party testing at GenPhar.
Tamiflu, meanwhile, is an FDA-approved treatment and prophylactic against influenza in patients aged one year and older. Since 2004, governments have purchased Tamiflu for stockpiling in anticipation of a feared pandemic influenza outbreak, and sales of Tamiflu were reported by Roche in 2006 to total 1.8 billion Swiss francs (approximately $1.5 billion).