Vical Initiates Phase 1/2 Trial Of Therapeutic HSV-2 Vaccine For Genital Herpes

(RTTNews) - Vical Inc. (VICL) Tuesday announced the initiation of its Phase 1/2 trial of the company's Vaxfectin-formulated therapeutic vaccine for herpes simplex virus type 2 or HSV-2, a cause of genital herpes.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will evaluate safety, tolerability and efficacy in otherwise healthy HSV-2- infected patients aged 18 to 50 years at six key U.S. clinical sites.

HSV-2 is a sexually transmitted virus which is the leading cause of recurrent genital herpes. Approximately one out of every six individuals aged 15 to 49 years globally is chronically infected by HSV-2 virus. There is no approved vaccine for HSV-2.