Benzinga | Apr 6, 2021 09:38AM EDT

Valneva's COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Using Dynavax's Adjuvant Shows Positive Interim Results

* Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: DVAX) has announced that Valneva SE reported initial results from Part A of the Phase 1/2 trial evaluating Valneva's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001, using Dynavax's CpG 1018 adjuvant.

* The trial is being conducted in 153 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years.

* VLA2001 was generally safe and well-tolerated across all dose groups tested and was highly immunogenic with a seroconversion rate for S-protein binding IgG antibodies of 100% in the high dose group.

* The IgG antibody response was highly correlated with neutralization titers in a micro-neutralization assay.

* Valneva plans to initiate a pivotal, comparative immunogenicity Phase 3 clinical trial with the high dose formulation by the end of next month.

* Dynavax developed CpG 1018 adjuvant to provide an increased vaccine immune response.

* CpG 1018 adjuvant is used in Hepatitis B Vaccine approved by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.

* Price Action: DVAX shares are trading 4.4% higher at $10.28 on the last check Tuesday.