Maxim Group Reiterates Bullish View on Inovio (INO) as Zika Vaccine Gets Green Light For Human Study

Maxim Group analyst Jason McCarthy reiterated his Buy rating and $14 price target on Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: INO) after Zika vaccine candidate, GLS-5700, gets the green light for human study.

McCarthy highlighted:

• Inovio announced that the company's Zika vaccine candidate, GLS-5700, has been cleared to initiate a study in humans.
• The phase I open-label, dose-ranging study will evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of GLS-5700 in 40 healthy subjects. The vaccine will be administered intradermally using the CELLECTRA electroporation system.
• As a reminder, GLS-5700 is being developed with GenOne Life Sciences and academic partners, the same groups working with Inovio on the Ebola and MERS vaccine projects.
• In non-human primates, two doses of GLS-5700 induced the production of both anti-Zika antibodies and CD8+ Zika-targeting T cells. Note that the generation of both antibodies and T cells is critical as antibodies clear free virus in the circulation and T cells eliminate virus-producing host cells.
• Conclusion. Inovio continues to demonstrate that its DNA-based vaccination platform can transition from pre-clinical to clinical in a relatively short period of time. The ability to respond quickly to a rapidly emerging public health threat like Zika virus (Zika is now present in 58 countries) with a DNA-based vaccine candidate could be an ideal approach for controlling disease spread, in our view.

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Inovio Pharmaceuticals click here. For more ratings news on Inovio Pharmaceuticals click here.

Shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals closed at $10.47 yesterday.

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