The decision was made following receipt of the results of the Herpevac trial for women, a Phase III trial evaluating efficacy of Simplirix, which was conducted collaboratively with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), apart of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
An assessment of the final trial results showed that the vaccine had an acceptable safety profile, but the primary trial endpoint, prevention of genital herpes disease, was not met.
GSK and NIH said that they continue to evaluate data from the trial and plan to present details of the analysis in the near future in an appropriate scientific forum.
GSK Biologicals Late Clinical Development vice president and director Gary Dubin they would like to express their gratitude towards their partner NIAID for their collaboration and substantial contribution in the program and the volunteers for their participation in the study.