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INOVIO, a biotechnology company focused on bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat and protect people from infectious diseases, cancer, and HPV-associated diseases, announced the signing of a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Colombia’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection reflecting the intent to advance efforts to combat the pandemic and endemic threat posed by COVID-19 and to better prepare for future public health emergencies. The MOU creates a framework for a collaboration arrangement under which INOVIO and the government plan to explore knowledge sharing, technology licensing, and capacity building that support developing and producing vaccines and other biopharmaceuticals in Colombia. The potential results of these efforts include developing local manufacturing capabilities for INOVIO’s DNA medicines and related products and technologies.
From Left to Right: Dr. Fernando Ruiz Gomez, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Republic of Colombia; Iván Duque Márquez, President of Colombia; Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO, INOVIO Pharmaceuticals
From Left to Right: Dr. Fernando Ruiz Gomez, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Republic of Colombia; Iván Duque Márquez, President of Colombia; Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO, INOVIO Pharmaceuticals
Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO of INOVIO, said, “INOVIO’s memorandum of understanding with Colombia is a sign of our shared commitment to develop and advance potentially life-saving DNA medicines and vaccines to those in need. This partnership grew out of the intended advantages of INOVIO’s DNA medicines platform to address current and future global health threats due to the anticipated stability of its product candidates, speed of design and manufacture, as well as the immune response and tolerability that have been observed to date in clinical trials.”
The framework of the planned collaboration builds on INOVIO’s recently announced authorization to proceed in Colombia with the Phase 3 segment of its global Phase 2/3 clinical trial, INNOVATE, for INO-4800, the company’s DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19. INOVIO is working with partner Advaccine Biopharmaceuticals Suzhou Co., Ltd. (Advaccine) on the INNOVATE Phase 3 segment in multiple countries, with a focus on countries underserved by COVID-19 vaccines throughout Latin America, Asia, and Africa. INOVIO previously announced approvals to conduct the trial in Brazil, the Philippines, and Mexico.
Dr. Fernando Ruiz Gomez, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Republic of Colombia, said, “Today is very special for us. We have a complete circle of what is possible with a North American company for the production of vaccines, including the possibility of integrating the work being carried out by the WHO Solidarity vaccine trial in Colombia that includes INOVIO as one of the four vaccine candidates in the clinical studies. As we discussed in the previous meeting today, the possibility of moving forward quickly is due to INOVIO considering Colombia as a priority country, a gesture that we appreciate, and is indicative of the will of our country and the Ministry of Health to advance the development of vaccines in Colombia.”
About INO-4800
INO-4800, INOVIO’s DNA vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, is composed of a precisely designed DNA plasmid that is injected intradermally followed by electroporation using a proprietary smart device, which delivers the DNA plasmid directly into cells in the body and is intended to produce a well-tolerated immune response. As one of the only nucleic-acid based vaccines that is stable at room temperature for more than a year, at 37°C for more than a month, has a five-year projected shelf life at normal refrigeration temperature and does not need to be frozen during transport or storage, INO-4800 is anticipated to be well-positioned for a primary series immunization as well as a booster.
About INOVIO
INOVIO is a biotechnology company focused on rapidly bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat and protect people from infectious diseases, cancer, and diseases associated with HPV. INOVIO is the first company to have clinically demonstrated that a DNA medicine can be delivered directly into cells in the body via a proprietary smart device to produce a robust and tolerable immune response. Specifically, INOVIO’s lead therapeutic candidate VGX-3100 met primary and secondary endpoints for all evaluable subjects in REVEAL 1, the first of two, Phase 3 trials for precancerous cervical dysplasia, demonstrating ability to destroy and clear both high-grade cervical lesions and the underlying high-risk HPV-16/18. INOVIO is also evaluating INO-4800, a DNA vaccine candidate against COVID-19, in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial; the Phase 3 segment of which has received regulatory approvals to begin in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Philippines. INOVIO’s partners, Advaccine Biopharmaceuticals and International Vaccine Institute, are also evaluating INO-4800 in ongoing clinical trials in China and South Korea, respectively.
Partners and collaborators include Advaccine, ApolloBio Corporation, AstraZeneca, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense/Department of Defense, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, International Vaccine Institute, Kaneka Eurogentec, Medical CBRN Defense Consortium, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Ology Bioservices, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Plumbline Life Sciences, Regeneron, Richter-Helm BioLogics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, University of Pennsylvania, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and The Wistar Institute.
