Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc is focused on launching the global late-stage trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate next month, top boss Joseph Kim said in a call on Monday, with the drug developer expecting data in the first half of next year.
In May, Inovio said it would begin the study of INO-4800 in summer this year, after the vaccine candidate was found to be safe as well as well-tolerated and produced an immune response against the new coronavirus in a mid-stage clinical trial.
The company started developing INO-4800 last year, but fell behind rivals after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put a part of the U.S. study on hold for more information on the vaccine delivery device.
The FDA's decision was followed by the U.S. government pulling funding for the late-stage study, citing the fast-moving environment of vaccine development.
The global trial, meanwhile, will initially focus on Latin America, Asia Pacific and regions in Africa, the company said.
"We were initially focusing on Latin America and Asia Pacific, but looking at the rapidly changing vaccination rates and the virus epidemiology, we are including regions in Africa," a company executive said during the post-earnings call.
The company, which has no approved drug in the market, has so far received about $85 million in combined funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Defense for the advancement and manufacturing of INO-4800.
Earlier this year, Inovio expanded a partnership with China's Advaccine Biopharmaceuticals to conduct the late-stage trial. Under the expanded deal, the companies expect to equally share its total cost.
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