GeoVax Labs Inc. Provides Details Of Presentation At World Vaccine Congress

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - April 09, 2015) - GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTCQB: GOVX), a biotechnology company developing innovative human vaccines for Ebola and HIV using its novel platform technology, today provided details of the talk presented by its Chief Scientific Officer, Harriet L. Robinson, Ph.D., at the World Vaccine Congress in Washington, D.C. The title of her talk was, “Phase 2 Development of a Prophylactic HIV Vaccine.”

Dr. Robinson’s talk focused on presenting the excellent preclinical and clinical data accumulated for GeoVax’s preventive HIV vaccine candidate, GOVX-B11. She also summarized the characteristics of the immune responses elicited in the well-documented RV144 trial (non-GeoVax) that was conducted in Thailand and highlighted how the RV144 results implicated antibody providing protection by tagging virus and infected cells for killing by white blood cells and other immune system mechanisms. She then reported on the characteristics of the antibody response elicited by the GeoVax GOVX-B11 vaccine in three Phase 1 clinical trials and a Phase 2a trial conducted in approximately 500 participants. Dr. Robinson reported data showing the GeoVax vaccine eliciting antibody recognizing both the gp120 receptor binding subunit and the gp41 stalk of the viral envelope protein (Env). Among antibodies elicited to gp41, she highlighted antibody to a highly conserved region called the immunodominant region. This region has been shown to be a strong target for antibody-dependent cell killing. She also presented data showing that antibody to the gp41 subunit of Env, in particular, was highly durable, not declining in its response rate or magnitude in the first six months following vaccination. Lastly, she showed data that the GeoVax vaccine elicits high levels of Env-specific IgG3 and low levels of Env-specific IgA. IgG3 is a type of antibody that was shown to be particularly effective for antibody mediated protection in RV144 whereas IgA in serum appeared to compete with and block the protective activities of IgG3.

Given all of these considerations, Dr. Robinson concluded that the GeoVax vaccine regimen using two DNA primes followed by three MVA boosts elicited antibody responses with highly favorable characteristics for potential protection against HIV. She also showed data that in the preclinical non-human primate model, the simian prototype of the human GOVX-B11 vaccine was shown to provide protection and demonstrated the best protection currently being seen among any HIV vaccines advancing in human clinical trials.

Dr. Robinson commented, “The antibody responses being elicited by the GeoVax GOVX-B11 vaccine in humans are highly encouraging. Particularly important is its high durability. In the partially successful RV144 trial, protection declined with the decay of the antibody response, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a long-lasting antibody response.”

Robert T. McNally, Ph.D., GeoVax’s President and CEO, said, “During the four previously completed human clinical trials of our vaccine, a remarkable amount of promising data have been collected on the ability of the GOVX-B11 vaccine to elicit potentially protective antibodies. The preclinical protection data are also quite persuasive. It is now time to test the vaccine in humans for its protective potential.”

About GeoVax
GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing human vaccines against infectious diseases using our novel vaccine platform. Our current development programs are focused on vaccines against Ebola and Marburg viruses, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). We believe our technology and vaccine development expertise is well-suited for a wide variety of human infectious diseases for which there is an unmet medical need, and we intend to pursue expansion of our product pipeline as resources permit.

Our vaccine platform supports production of non-infectious virus-like particles (VLPs) from the cells of the person receiving the vaccine. Producing non-infectious virus-like particles in the person being vaccinated circumvents the need to purify virus-like particles for inoculation. The production of virus-like particles in the person being vaccinated mimics a natural infection, stimulating both the humoral and cellular arms of the immune system to recognize, prevent and control the target infection should it appear.

Clinical trials for GeoVax’s preventive HIV vaccines have been conducted by the US National Institutes of Health-supported HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) with funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). Overall, GeoVax’s vaccines, in various doses and combinations, have been tested in 500 humans.

For more information, go to www.geovax.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this document are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax can develop and manufacture its vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax’s vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax’s vaccines will effectively prevent HIV or Ebola infection in humans, vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete vaccine development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective or easier to use than GeoVax’s products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control. GeoVax assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, and does not intend to do so. More information about these factors is contained in GeoVax’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those set forth at “Risk Factors” in GeoVax’s Form 10-K.