Tripep reports positive results from its ongoing ChronVac-C® study
Tripep can today report on preliminary results from the first patient in the middle dose group which now has completed the treatment against hepatitis C virus infection in the ongoing open study with the therapeutic vaccine ChronVac-C®. Samples taken before, during and after treatment show that the viral levels in blood successively decreased with more than 95 percent during treatment.
ChronVac-C® is a therapeutic vaccine, i.e. it is given to individuals already infected with the hepatitis C virus with the aim to clear the infection by boosting the immune response against the virus. Tripep’s ChronVac-C® vaccine is injected in a muscle with Inovio’s Medpulser® DDS.
”Previously, we have shown that ChronVac-C® treatment activates immune responses in the patients belonging to the lowest dose group. It’s rewarding to conclude that we also have clear effects on the viral replication in the first patient receiving the intermediate dose – the standard by which the effect of antiviral therapies are measured today”, says Tripep’s CEO Jan Nilsson.
”Hepatitis C is a widely spread disease that in more than half of the patients results in a chronic liver inflammation and a risk for liver cancer or liver cirrhosis. Currently we lack efficacious pharmaceuticals for the 50 per cent of patients who doesn’t response to treatment available today. Based on the massive medical need, it’s fantastic to see significantly decreased viral levels already in the middle dose group, and it’s going to be very interesting to following further patients receiving treatment, says Professor Ola Weiland who is the principle investigator of the study at Karolinska University Hospital.
The total market for therapies against hepatitis C infections is according to Rodman&Renshaw estimated to be over 4 billion dollars 2008 and is expected to grow to more than 8 billion dollars by 2013.
For more information, please contact:
Jan Nilsson, CEO, Tripep AB
Tel: +46 8 449 84 80, mobile phone: +46 70 466 31 63
E-mail: jan.nilsson@tripep.se
Anders Vahlne, Head of Research, Tripep AB
Tel: +46 8 5858 1313, mobile phone: +46 709 28 05 28
E-mail: anders.vahlne@ki.se
About Tripep
Tripep develops drugs against chronic disease based on proprietary and other parties’ patented and patent pending technologies. Tripep is focusing on the following research projects; wound healing therapy ChronSeal and a therapeutic vaccine against Hepatitis C, named ChronVac-C®, plus the RAS® technology platform. The Tripep share is admitted to trade on First North. Remium AB is Certified Adviser for Tripep AB. For more information, please refer to the company’s website: www.tripep.se.
About the ChronVac-C® study
The study is conducted at the Infectious Disease Clinic and the Center for Gastroenterology at the Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge and Solna, respectively and entails totally 12 patients divided into three dose groups with increasing doses of ChronVac-C®. Each patient receives four ChronVac-C® vaccinations one month apart. After the last vaccination the patients are followed for another six months. The analyzed patients in the lowest dose group has developed a T cell response to hepatitis C. The now reported patient is the first who has completed treatment in the intermediate dose group. The main purpose of the study is safety and this far no expected adverse events have been recorded. The secondary aim is to determine the immunogenicity and the tertiary aim is to monitor effects on the viral replication. Currently, seven patients are undergoing treatment.