Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:INO)
Inovio Pharmaceuticals is having an incredible day in the market today, and for good reason. The company announced that it is moving forward with a very important Phase 1 after determining dosing clinical trial. Today, we’ll talk about the clinical trial, how the stock reacted to the news, and what we can expect to see from INO moving forward. So, let’s get right to it…
INO Initiates Zika DNA Vaccine Study
As mentioned above, Inovio Pharmaceuticals is having an incredibly strong day in the market today after announcing dosing for the first subject in its multi-center phase 1 trial to evaluate the Zika DNA vaccine.
Also, it was announced today that Health Canada’s Health Products and Food Branch has approved the study following recent approval from the FDA. The study will include clinical sites in Miami, Philidelphia, and Quebec City.
About The Phase 1 Clinical Trail
The clinical trial being conducted by INO is an open-label, dose-ranging study of 40 healthy adult volunteers. The goal of the study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of GLS-5700 (the Zika virus vaccine). The vaccine will be administered with the CELLECTRA-3P device, a proprietary intraderma DNA delivery device designed by the company.
According to INO, the synthetic vaccine induced robust antibody T cell responses in preclinical testing. This is incredibly important as T cell responses are necessary to fight viral infections. The increased T cell response was seen in testing on both small and large animal models.
In a statement, Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO at Inovio Pharmaceuticals had the following to offer…
“The WHO declared Zika a public health emergency in February 2016 and every week new insights suggest that, similarly to dengue and Chikungunya, its medical and economic impact may be significant, pervasive and long-lasting. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are 30 to 40 million U.S. Travelers to Zika-affected areas annually. The resident population in the Americas at higher risk of Zika exposure has been estimated at nearly 300 million. It is easy to see the potentially harmful effect Zika could have and why a safe and effective vaccine, brought to market as quickly as possible, is critical for public health.
Inovio’s synthetic vaccine technology allows rapid development of new products to stimulate effective immune responses against targeted infections diseases and cancers. Our Zika product has established a record as the fastest-ever vaccine development from conceptualization through human application, demonstrating the potential of our SynCon platform to respond rapidly to global health emergencies. With enrollment now started, we expect to complete subject dosing and report interim phase 1 results later this year.”
How The Market Reacted To The News
As investors, one of the first things that we learn is that the news moves the market. Any time positive news is released with regard to a publicly traded company, we can expect to see gains in the value of the stock as a result. Adversely, negative news will lead to declines. In this particular case, the news released with regard to INO was overwhelmingly positive. As a result, the stock saw strong gains in the market today. By the end of the trading session, the stock climbed $0.40 per share or 4.37% to close the day off at $9.55 per share.
What We Can Expect To See Moving Forward
Moving forward, I have an overwhelmingly bullish opinion of what we can expect to see from Inovio Pharmaceuticals. Through the push to clinical trials, the company has shown its strength in moving from conceptualization to human trials quickly for much needed medical ailments. Considering the promising preclinical results, I’m expecting for the Zika vaccine to prove to be successful. This in combination with strong products, a strong team, and a plan for success leads me to expect gains in the stock moving forward.
What Do You Think?
Where do you think INO is headed moving forward and why? Join the discussion in the comments below!