Dr. Joseph Kim
Analyst · Bank of America. Please go ahead
Thank you, Ben, and good afternoon. I appreciate everyone taking the time to join us today. The impact of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, over the past few months highlights the enduring threat of COVID-19, particularly, the unpredictability of current and future variants of concern. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 reaffirms and underscores the continued public healthy need and ongoing challenge to improve access to both, primary vaccines and boosters across the global community. Testament meant to this challenge is the fact that while over 63% of the global population has received at least one vaccine dose and a growing number have received boosters, in certain countries, first dose vaccination rates are still below 12%. There is clearly more work to be done. Since the emergence of Omicron as the predominant COVID-19 variant circulating in the globe in November, the expectation for vaccination has changed. The highly infectious nature of Omicron has meant that while vaccines currently available in the market may not directly prevent infections, they can significantly protect the vaccinated from severe disease, hospitalization and ultimately death. In this regard, many experts believe that virus targeting T cell responses are thought to play an important role in protection against severe disease and death, and may be central to the durability of vaccine protection. Inovio observed full maintenance of T cell responses against the Omicron variant in clinical samples from INO-4800 vaccinated individuals. The preservation of T cell responses continues to remain a consistent observation for INO-4800 against the ancestral COVID-19 virus and across all variants of concerns tested to-date, including Omicron. In response to the dominance of Omicron variant globally and the persistence of cross-reactive T cell responses generated by INO-4800 across all VOCs to-date, we plan to seek regulatory approval to amend the primary endpoint for our Phase 3 INNOVATE trial from prevention of all symptomatic disease to prevention of severe disease. We believe INO-4800’s ability to generate T cell responses could be critical in meeting the proposed amended primary endpoint. In addition, due to the emergence of Omicron, the Data Safety Monitoring Board of our INO-4800 program recommended that we pause the enrollment of new participants to update the Informed Consent form and Investigator Brochure to reflect the potential impact of Omicron under trail. The DSMB stated that safety issues were not a factor in this recommendation and dosing may continue for those participants who have already received their first dose. As a result of the DSMB recommendation, as well as our plan to seek approval to amend the trial’s primary endpoint, we have paused enrollment of new participants for INNOVATE. Interim efficacy data from Innovate will therefore not be available in the first half of 2022, as previously expected. In addition, we’re also evaluating the feasibility of an additional ex-U.S. heterologous boost trial for INO-4800 as a booster in a non-inferiority clinical trial, comparing -- compared to previously approved viral vector and inactivated COVID-19 vaccines. This will complement the ongoing booster trials that are being conducted in China by our partner Advaccine. Viral vector and inactivated COVID-19 vaccines have been the most widely administered vaccine types globally, particularly in low to middle income countries, accounting for more than half of all doses delivered worldwide. Currently approved and authorized vaccines may not meet the global demand for boosters to address their waning protection, a need which some regulatory agencies are considering with respect to evaluating a clinical pathway for heterologous boost candidates and clinical trials. In addition to early data from independent studies that suggest a mix and match booster strategy of heterologous boosting may confer advantages over the homologous boosting approach, INO-4800’s key advantages as a DNA vaccine correspond well with desired features of a heterologous boost vaccine. These advantages include its observed T-cell immunity for disease protection, tolerability for re-administration, favorable thermostability profile for global transport, storage, and distribution and ease of construct design, line for timely scaling and manufacturing. We are also pleased to share that Advaccine has completed enrollment of its 200-participant homologous and 267-participant heterologous boost Phase 1/2 clinical trials. The trials are designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of INO-4800 as a homologous boost where INO-4800 was administered as the primary vaccine and as heterologous boost where inactivated vaccines were administered as the primary vaccine. We look forward to sharing additional updates as Advaccine progresses with the trial. And as we shared last quarter, the World Health Organization, or WHO, selected INO-4800 to be tested in a large international randomized control Phase 3 clinical trial, the Solidarity Trial Vaccines, which is ongoing and being funded, sponsored and conducted by the WHO. We are truly proud that INO-4800 is the only DNA vaccine select for this trial. We believe INO -- we believe Inovio can most effectively support the global community as COVID-19 shifts from pandemic stage to endemic stage while leveraging the strength of our DNA medicines platform and deep experience combating infectious diseases. With that, I’ll turn it over to Dr. Kate Broderick, our Senior Vice President of R&D, and co-program lead for COVID program, who will provide further details regarding INO-4800 and the Omicron variant, as well as our continued progress across our other infectious disease programs. Kate?