Step towards long lasting HIV viral control with repeated Vacc-4x immunizations
(Bergen, Norway, 16 October 2013) Bionor Pharma ASA (OSE: BIONOR) is today giving a poster presentation of the Reboost Phase II study with Vacc-4x, which received a grant from GLOBVAC in 2012, at the GLOBVAC conference in Bergen. The poster is entitled “Towards Eradication of HIV-1: Therapeutic vaccination with the peptide-based candidate Vacc-4x”. The aim of the study is to reduce viral load even further after reboosting with Vacc-4x following a second cART interruption. Results from the study are expected in Q1 2014.
Combination antiretroviral therapy is not a cure for HIV, it only blocks virus replication while patients take this medication. cART must therefore be a lifelong treatment. Bionor Pharma’s therapeutic vaccine Vacc-4x aims to induce long lasting virus control, either in combination with cART or without it, by training immune cells to seek out and kill virus-producing cells. The observed 0.44 log, (64%) reduction in viral load set point in patients who received Vacc-4x compared to placebo in the previous Phase II study therefore represents a potential step towards a functional cure for HIV.
In clinical practice, periods of cART interruption for various reasons are not uncommon. In these situations, therapeutic vaccination to strengthen the immune system’s ability to control the viral infection could therefore provide an important health benefit.