MVA-BN(R) vaccine enters clinical trials

A new vaccine for the HIV virus has entered a phase two safety study in the US.

Bavarian Nordic, a leading biopharmaceutical company, has developed a MVA-BN(R) vaccine which it claims is more advanced than its previous MVA-based drugs.

The vaccine attacks eight of the HIV genes and builds on the previous work done by Bavarian Nordic. The company has previously demonstrated the ability of MVA drugs to control the replication of the HIV virus.

Early studies have found the new vaccines to be effective in creating a response in the T-cells which the virus attacks.

Anders Hedegaard, president of Bavarian Nordic, said the company's previous knowledge of HIV vaccines has helped the development of MVA-BN(R).

"The HIV multiantigen programme indeed benefits from the data generated in our previous HIV studies, demonstrating a unique safety profile of MVA in this high-risk population, as well as the potential to control HIV replication," he explained.

MVA-BN is patented by Bavarian Nordic and protects against various diseases including HIV/Aids, smallpox and breast or prostate cancer.