6 April 2001 – Acambis plc (“Acambis”) (LSE: ACM, NASDAQ: ACAM) is to present details today of its programme to develop a significant new vaccine against West Nile encephalitis at a New York Academy of Sciences conference on the West Nile virus. A keynote presentation will be made at the conference by Dr Thomas P. Monath, Acambis’ Vice President, Research & Medical Affairs.
In August 2000, Acambis was awarded a $3m grant by the US National Institutes of Health to develop a vaccine against West Nile encephalitis using its proprietary ChimeriVax technology. The grant is expected to cover the costs of research and development, up to the point of initial human clinical trials.
West Nile virus has emerged within the past five years as an important disease of humans and horses, found in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. In the summer of 1999, the virus appeared in the US for the first time when an outbreak occurred in New York in which 62 people were hospitalised and seven people died. In 2000, the virus spread to a further 11 US East Coast states. No vaccine to prevent West Nile encephalitis exists.
Acambis is developing a live, attenuated West Nile vaccine. Using its ChimeriVax technology, a chimeric virus is being constructed through replacing the envelope genes of yellow fever vaccine with the corresponding genes of the West Nile virus. Clinical trials of Acambis’ West Nile vaccine are anticipated to commence during 2002.
Acambis has already applied the ChimeriVax technology to develop a vaccine against the virus that causes Japanese encephalitis (“JE”), which is closely related to the West Nile virus. Positive results from a Phase I/II trial of Acambis’ ChimeriVax-JE vaccine were announced in February 2001.
Dr Thomas P. Monath said:
“Vaccination is the most effective and cost-efficient measure to combat infectious diseases. Using our ChimeriVax technology, we are making rapid progress towards developing a safe and effective vaccine against West Nile encephalitis and other life-threatening flaviviruses. The recent positive results of the trial of our ChimeriVax-JE vaccine give us great confidence in our ability to develop successfully a West Nile vaccine.”... |
