New Antifungal (VL-2397) Goes Into Phase 1 Trial

Submitted by GAtherton on 23 March 2016

Vical said it has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial of its antifungal treatment, VL-2397. The randomized, double-blind trial will evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of VL-2397 at single and multiple ascending doses in healthy volunteers at a single U.S. clinical site. VL-2397 will be used to treat invasive aspergillosis, which causes significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients, including transplant recipients, the company said.

In preclinical studies, the drug has demonstrated faster antifungal activity than marketed drugs and activity against azole-resistant fungal pathogens. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted Vical orphan drug and qualified infectious disease designation for VL-2397 for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis.