On Apr. 6, 2020, VGXI, announced it had completed manufacturing and release of a DNA vaccine to combat the  COVID-19 pandemic. VGXI was selected by Inovio Pharmaceuticals in late January to produce the vaccine under a $9 million grant to Inovio from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

Rapid mobilization of efforts across both companies enabled a record-setting timeline to release and initiation of clinical testing for the novel DNA vaccine within just 2 months from the start of production and only 3 months from public release of the virus genetic sequence. The large scale manufacturing campaign has supplied thousands of vaccine doses up to 4 times faster than traditional plasmid DNA production would support.

As of today, nearly 1,300,000 cases of COVID-19 have been identified worldwide, with about 70,000 deaths. In the US, there have been over 330,000 cases and nearly 10,000 deaths. Travel, commerce, and daily life is disrupted around the world as countries implement policies to slow the spread of the virus. In parallel with these efforts, the race to make a safe, effective vaccine widely available is essential to overcoming the current crisis.

With the Phase 1 trial beginning in the US, the vaccine developer and VGXI client for the last 13 years, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, is also coordinating simultaneous clinical trials in China and South Korea. Additional large scale manufacturing of the vaccine at the VGXI facility has already been scheduled in 2Q 2020.

As a leading provider of plasmid DNA manufacturing and development services, VGXI, Inc. has proven its ability to support urgent vaccine development timelines in response to past outbreaks such as Ebola, Zika, and other coronaviruses including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).