GeoVax supports Bionor's Phase 2b trial of therapeutic HIV/AIDS vaccine

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: GOVX) (the "Company"), an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for HIV/AIDS (HIV-1, Human Immunodeficiency Virus), announced it was pleased to learn of the partial success observed in the recently completed Phase 2b trial of a therapeutic HIV/AIDS vaccine produced by Bionor Immuno AS of Oslo, Norway. Bionor reported success in reducing viral load (reduction in HIV virus in the blood stream) in individuals who were vaccinated then weaned from anti-retroviral therapy (ART).  HIV replication was reduced as the result of the vaccine recipient's immune system.

Robert McNally, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President stated, "In the war against HIV/AIDS, vaccines have two unmet objectives. First of all, the fight continues to design vaccines which will prevent an individual from being infected by HIV and, for those individuals already infected with HIV, the development of a therapeutic vaccine to supplement the existing anti-retroviral drug regimens. Earlier this year Argos Therapeutics presented data from their Phase 2 clinical trial designed to test a vaccine based on an individualized medicine approach. They observed a greater than 20-fold reduction of HIV replication in approximately 65% of individuals responding to the vaccine. The Bionor vaccine reduced HIV replication by approximately 5-fold in the population of treated individuals. This announcement gives encouragement to all participants in the HIV/AIDS vaccine effort. Ultimately, success for a therapeutic vaccine will be achieved."

The Bionor product, designated Vacc-4x, consists of four synthetic peptides derived from a major HIV structural protein. The vaccine is injected in combination with a human cytokine (Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor-GM-CSF) which serves as an adjuvant to augment immune responses. The vaccine is thought to function by stimulating the expansion of both CD4+ (helper) and CD8+ (killer) T cells. GeoVax HIV/AIDS vaccine products are likewise designed to induce T cell based immune responses, but unlike the Bionor product, our vaccines also induce antibody responses to reduce the rate of virus spread in treated individuals.

"Within the two main areas of focus for HIV/AIDS vaccines – preventative and therapeutic – GeoVax continues to make progress," stated Dr. McNally. "Our preventative vaccine candidate is being tested in a Phase 2a trial sponsored by the Division of AIDS (National Institutes of Health) and conducted by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN). Assessment of the therapeutic potential of GeoVax's vaccine is being tested in an ongoing Phase 1 trial which will include ART interruption; a design feature similar to both the Argos and Bionor trials. Active recruitment among recently infected HIV individuals is underway for our Phase 1 therapeutic trial."

SOURCE GeoVax Labs, Inc.