Coridon's herpes vaccine trial progressing well

Allied Healthcare’s (ASX:AHZ) Coridon has announced a milestone in the phase I trial of its DNA vaccine for herpes simplex virus 2, the most common cause of genital herpes.

The first two of five planned cohorts of healthy volunteers have been successfully dosed, with no safety issues reported.

The trial, which is being conducted by Q-Pharm at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, is designed to involve a total of 20 healthy volunteers receiving five intradermal doses of the vaccine.

Its goals are to evaluate safety and tolerability, as well as whether the vaccine generates a robust immune response.

Allied Healthcare Group CEO Lee Rodne said the vaccine, which is designed to prevent transmission of herpes and treat those already exposed, could fill a major unmet medical need.

“Currently there is no curative treatment for herpes ... meaning our herpes therapeutic vaccine has huge market potential,” he said.

The vaccine was developed by immunologist professor Ian Frazer, who founded Coridon in 2000 to commercialise patented vaccine technology.

Allied Healthcare has been an investor in Coridon since 2008 and has been progressively increasing its stake as Coridon progresses through its development programs. In July this year, Allied Healthcare increased its holding to a controlling 50.1%.

Allied Healthcare (ASX:AHZ) shares were trading unchanged at $0.10 as of around 1 pm on Thursday.