GeoVax is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing immunotherapies and vaccines against infectious diseases and solid tumor cancers using novel vector vaccine platforms. GeoVax’s product pipeline includes ongoing human clinical trials for a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine and a gene-directed therapy against advanced head and neck cancer. Additional research and development programs include preventive vaccines against Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) and smallpox, hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan and Marburg), and Zika virus, as well as immunotherapies for multiple solid tumors.
Our corporate strategy is to advance, protect and exploit our differentiated vaccine/immunotherapy technologies leading to the successful development of preventive and therapeutic vaccines and immunotherapies against infectious diseases and various cancers. Our goal is to advance products through to human clinical testing, and to seek partnership or licensing arrangements for achieving regulatory approval and commercialization. We also leverage third party resources through collaborations and partnerships for preclinical and clinical testing with multiple government, academic and corporate entities.
Our programs are in various stages of development, the most significant of which are summarized below along with recent developments:
| ● | GEO-CM04S1 – Next Generation COVID-19 Vaccine: |
|---|
| o | On June 12, 2024, GeoVax was awarded a contract (the “BARDA Contract”) through the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) to advance the clinical development of GEO-CM04S1. The RRPV is a Consortium funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Under the agreement, GeoVax will sponsor a 10,000-participant, randomized, Phase 2b double-blinded study to assess the clinical efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of GEO-CM04S1 compared with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The original direct award to GeoVax of approximately $24.3 million, which may increase to as much as $45 million, will fund the manufacturing of clinical materials and support for the Phase 2b clinical trial, including regulatory activities. BARDA has made a separate award of approximately $343 million through its Clinical Studies Network to Allucent, a global clinical research organization, to execute the clinical trial as part of BARDA’s Clinical Studies Network. |
| o | GEO-CM04S1 is currently undergoing a Phase 2 clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04977024), evaluating its safety and efficacy as a preventive COVID-19 vaccine in high-risk immunocompromised patients (e.g. patients with blood cancers who have previously received either an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant, an autologous hematopoietic cell transplant or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy). Data published from the safety lead-in portion of the trial indicates that GEO-CM04S1 is highly immunogenic in these patients, inducing broad and durable neutralizing antibody and T cell responses. |
| o | GEO-CM04S1 is also undergoing the Phase 2 portion of a Phase 1/2 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04639466), evaluating two vaccine dose levels as a heterologous COVID-19 booster vaccine to current FDA-approved mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. In February 2024, we announced positive interim safety and immune responses findings following vaccine administration. Consolidated data (blinded to vaccine dose) from all subjects tested one-month post-vaccination, documented statistically significant increases in neutralizing antibody responses against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, ranging from the original Wuhan strain through Delta and Omicron XBB 1.5. |
| o | An investigator-initiated Phase 2 clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05672355) of GEO-CM04S1 is evaluating its use as a COVID-19 vaccine booster in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) compared to the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA-based vaccine. |
| ● | Gedeptin® - Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Phase 1/2 Trial: |
|---|
| o | Gedeptin® recently completed a Phase 1/2 clinical trial (PNP-002) (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03754933) for treatment of patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This trial is being funded in part by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) pursuant to its Orphan Products Clinical Trials Grants Program. |
| o | We recently convened a special clinical advisory board to conduct a comprehensive review of the PNP-002 trial results, together with the previously completed Phase 1 trial (PNP-001). This review concluded that Gedeptin demonstrated an acceptable safety and efficacy profile to support continued development. In addition, the therapy has demonstrated sufficient tumor stabilization/reduction activity to support plans to advance clinical development of Gedeptin therapy in an expanded Phase 2 clinical trial. |
| o | We have initiated activities in support of a Phase 2 trial in first-recurrence head and neck cancer. The primary goal of this trial will be to establish efficacy of neoadjuvant Gedeptin therapy combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor in squamous cell head and neck cancer. This trial is anticipated to be a single cycle trial with surgery to follow in approximately 36 patients with pathologic response rate as the primary endpoint. We have initiated the necessary planning activities, including protocol development, manufacturing and CRO selection, with the trial activation anticipated during the first half of 2025. |
| ● | Our additional research programs for vaccines and immunotherapies at various stages of preclinical development. |
|---|
| o | On May 23, 2024, we received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq notifying the Company that it no longer complied with the $2,500,000 minimum stockholders’ equity required for continued listing pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) (the “Stockholders’ Equity Requirement”), because the Company’s stockholders’ equity as reported in its Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2024 did not meet the required minimum. On July 18, 2024, we received notice from Nasdaq granting our request for an extension of time to regain compliance with the Stockholders’ Equity Requirement until November 19, 2024. We believe that our recent equity transactions are sufficient to remedy the shortfall in our stockholders’ equity at our next quarterly reporting date of September 30, 2024, but have not yet received a determination from Nasdaq.. |
