London, Ontario CANADA – Sumagen Canada Inc. has been awarded a non-refundable financial contribution of up to $728,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) to support human clinical trials for our preventative HIV vaccine which is based on a genetically modified killed whole virus, SAV001. Sumagen Canada received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2011 to commence Phase I clinical trials.
The HIV vaccine (SAV001) holds tremendous promise, having already proven to stimulate strong immune responses in preliminary studies with no adverse effects or safety risks. It is the only HIV vaccine currently under development in Canada, and one of only a few in the world.
This financial assistance from NRC-IRAP and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will assist Sumagen Canada to proceed more quickly to Phase I human clinical trials to test the safety of its SAV001 HIV/AIDS vaccine.The SAV001 vaccine has the potential to save millions of lives around the world by preventing HIV infection.SAV001 is a vaccine that addresses one of the most tragic health crisis affecting millions of people around the globe.
HIV/AIDS has killed more than 28 million people worldwide, and more than 35 million people currently live with the virus.Since the virus was characterized in 1983, there have been numerous trials through pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions around the world to develop vaccines; however, no commercialized vaccine has been developed to date.Other HIV vaccines evaluated through human clinical trials have focused on either one specific component of HIV as an antigen, genetic vaccine using recombinant DNA, or recombinant viruses carrying the HIV genes.SAV001 HIV vaccine is unique in that it uses a killed whole HIV-1, a genetically engineered vaccine.
Sumagen Co., Ltd., the parent company of Sumagen Canada, has committed substantial resources to this project since 2005 and is very pleased to have the support of NRC-IRAP and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to move forward with the project. Sumagen is committed to continuing to grow its business in Canada and be part of the business community in London.
About Sumagen Canada
Located in The Stiller Centre for Technology Commercialization in Western’s Research Park in London, Ontario, Sumagen Canada was established in 2008 specifically to manage and support clinical development of SAV001 vaccine.Sumagen Canada is a subsidiary of Sumagen Co.Ltd., a Korean-based pharmaceutical venture company.
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