Vical Inc said it would develop and commercialize its cytomegalovirus vaccine with Japan’s No. 2 drugmaker Astellas Pharma , sending its shares up as much 10 percent in after-market trade on Thursday. Vical will receive up to $130 million in upfront and development milestones plus double-digit royalties for the DNA vaccine, TransVax. The vaccine is used to improve immune responses in blood cell transplant patients whose immune system has been impaired by disease or treatment. The companies expect to begin a multinational late-stage trial of the vaccine in stem cell transplant patients in the first half of next year.
