GeoVax awarded $1.9m grant to develop HIV vaccine
Hannah Blake
pharmaphorum
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, have awarded a US $1.9 million grant to an Atlanta-based biopharmaceutical firm, GeoVax Labs, Inc. The aim of GeoVax is to develop vaccines to prevent and fight Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections.
The grant will go towards supporting the development of a clade C version of GeoVax’s current clade B vaccine products. GeoVax’s clade B vaccines are currently undergoing human clinical trials, and address the HIV virus predominant in the developed world. The clade C vaccines would address the version of the virus predominant in the developing world. Two-thirds of the global population at risk for contracting AIDS, or already infected with HIV, live in developing countries.
"We continue to be grateful to the National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for their continued support of our vaccine program. As HIV is a global disease, attention to the development of a clade C vaccine has always been a Company goal. GeoVax is committed to addressing the needs of all people who are potentially at risk of HIV, and this grant will enable us to proceed toward successful development of a life-saving vaccine addressing HIV in the developing regions of the world."
David Dodd, GeoVax's Board Chairman.
In 2010, it was estimated that 34 million people around the world were living with HIV or AIDS, according to charity, Avert.
Related news:
GeoVax Awarded $1.9 Million Grant by US Government for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Program (Equities.com)
NIH funds GeoVax to develop HIV drug (Pharmaceutical Business Review)