FT. COLLINS, Colo., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative (PDVI), a program of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), and Inviragen today announced their partnership to help develop and make a dengue vaccine widely available for the global prevention of dengue fever, the second most widespread tropical disease after malaria.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease that is a potential threat to about half of the world’s population (3.5 billion people) living in tropical and subtropical countries. About 100 million people are infected with dengue every year according to recent estimates published by the PDVI.
“The PDVI is strongly committed to supporting leading companies that are developing dengue vaccines. Inviragen has an exciting candidate vaccine that shows great promise.” said Dr. Harold Margolis, Director of the PDVI.
Dengue fever occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical countries. It is spreading to new parts of the globe each year, exemplified by the recent outbreaks in Paraguay and the Middle East. In addition, dengue affects countries such as Australia (Queensland) and the United States (Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US-affiliated Pacific Islands). A substantial number of people traveling to or working in endemic regions are also infected each year.
Inviragen’s dengue vaccine was designed by collaborators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect against all four of the dengue viruses. The vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in preclinical animal models.
“Our goal is to develop a dengue vaccine that is affordable and readily available in developing countries. We have formed an international consortium to move Inviragen’s dengue vaccine into human clinical trials; PDVI and IVI offer worldwide resources and expertise to augment our efforts,” said Dr. Dan Stinchcomb, Chief Executive Officer of Inviragen.
The IVI, based in Seoul, Korea, is the world’s only International Organization solely dedicated to vaccine research and development. “The IVI is enthusiastic about this close association with Inviragen, which may accelerate the availability of a dengue vaccine for the world’s poorest children. The management of Inviragen is outstanding and has full capabilities to move the candidate vaccine quickly into advanced clinical trials,” concluded Dr. John Clemens, Director General of IVI.
About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative (PDVI)
The International Vaccine Institute is an international Organization established at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme under the Vienna Convention of 1969 as amended. The IVI operates under a treaty signed by 40 countries and the World Health Organization. It is governed by an independent Board of Trustees. The Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative is a program of the IVI and has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the government of the Republic of Korea. The PDVI mission is to ensure access to dengue vaccines in developing countries. For more information, please visit: http://www.pdvi.org
About Inviragen
Over 15 million people worldwide die each year of infectious diseases. Vaccines to prevent these diseases are the most cost effective solutions to improving global health. Co-founded by Dr. Jorge Osorio and Dr. Dan Stinchcomb, Inviragen is developing life-saving vaccines to protect against emerging infectious diseases worldwide. In addition to its dengue vaccine, Inviragen is developing a vaccine to protect against West Nile disease and a combination vaccine to protect against plague and smallpox. Inviragen has offices in Fort Collins, Colorado and Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, please visit: http://www.Inviragen.com.
Inviragen
CONTACT: Dr. Dan Stinchcomb of Inviragen, +1-970-372-4754; or Dr. RichardMahoney of PDVI, +1-928-282-1608
