The firm will attempt to reformulate the treatment and try again.
Biondvax announced today that it was halting the clinical safety trial (Phase I) for its flu vaccine, after it was discovered that patients were suffering from side-effects. In August, the company had announced that due "to the appearance of side-effects, which are not serious and are characteristic of this type of vaccine, in a few of the participants of the trial" it was decided to extend the trial and to reduce the dosage.
It now appears that the side-effects were not so characteristic and that in order to reach reasonable safety it was necessary to reduce the dose until it was no longer effective. As a result the development of the product in its current form was halted.
Biondvax is attempting to develop a universal vaccine for a large number of flu-types on the basis of the research done by Ruth Arnon of the Weitzmann Intitute, who also discovered Copaxone.
The company announced today that it believes the side-effects were caused not by the vaccination components but rather by an enhancing agent.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on November 13, 2007
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