Vical to scrap genital herpes treatment program after trial fails primary endpoint
Vical Inc. said Monday a phase 2 trial of its treatment for genital herpes failed to meet its primary endpoint of annualized lesion recurrence rate. The stock was still inactive in premarket trade. In a study of 261 healthy adults with herpes simplex virus type 2, aged 18 to 50, with a self-reported history of 4 to 9 recurrences a year, Vical said the annualized recurrence rate in the placebo group was “far less” than what was expected, meaning there was “significantly less power” to show a vaccine effect in the trial. “We are extremely disappointed with the outcome and based upon these results, we will be terminating the HSV-2 program,” said Chief Executive Vijay Samant. Vical said it will remain focused on antifungal VL-2397, which is in a phase 2 trial. The stock had tumbled 30.3% over the past 12 months, while the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF has gained 12.3% and the S&P 500 has climbed 14.3%.
Source : MTV
