The manufacturer of an experimental vaccine for HSV-2 that showed therapeutic efficacy in animal research has announced plans to begin human safety studies in 2012.
Vical Incorporated is a biopharmaceutical research company based in San Diego, CA. According to information posted on the company’s website, studies with guinea pigs showed their Vaxfectin® vaccine was effective in preventing recurrent lesions related to reactivation of HSV-2. The next step will be evaluating safety in human subjects and, based on the outcome of those studies, the company plans to launch early phase clinical trials to evaluate vaccine efficacy in humans “as soon as possible.”
Treatment for recurrent genital herpes currently involves oral antiviral medication, taken either at the onset of an outbreak to speed healing or as a daily, suppressive dose to curtail episodes. Daily therapy with Valtrex® has also shown the ability to reduce transmission to partners uninfected with genital HSV-2 by about half.
