• Updates Presented for Gedeptin® and GEO-CM04S1 Phase 2 Clinical Trials

ATLANTA, GA, Sept. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire – GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX), a biotechnology company developing  immunotherapies and vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, today announced that its Chairman and CEO, David Dodd, presented a company overview during the H.C. Wainwright 25th Annual Global Investment Conference on September 11. A webcast replay of Mr. Dodd’s presentation can be viewed here.

During his presentation, Mr. Dodd reviewed the Company’s four ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials:

GEO-CM04S1 (Next-Generation COVID-19 Vaccine)

• As a primary vaccine in immunocompromised patients (with hematologic cancers receiving cell transplants or CAR-T therapy). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04977024.
• As a booster vaccine in immunocompromised patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a recognized high-risk group for whom current mRNA vaccines and monoclonal antibody (MAb) therapies appear inadequate relative to providing protective immunity. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05672355.
• As a booster vaccine for healthy patients who have previously received the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04639466.

Gedeptin® (Gene Therapy for Solid Tumors)

• Evaluating the safety and efficacy of repeat cycles of Gedeptin therapy in patients with recurrent head and neck cancers whose tumor(s) are accessible for injection and who have no curable treatment options. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03754933.

Commenting on the GEO-CM04S1 clinical program, Mr. Dodd said, “Our next-generation COVID-19 vaccine is designed to provide critically needed protection to those individuals with depleted immune systems, and who are inadequately protected by the currently authorized vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies. Using our MVA platform as its backbone, our vaccine candidate is ‘variant-agnostic’ and we expect it to provide broader, more durable protection than existing authorized vaccines. We anticipate multiple significant catalyst events during the remainder of 2023. We recently completed patient enrollment in the healthy booster trial, and anticipate completion of enrollment in our CLL trial soon, while also accelerating enrollment in the cell transplant trial through multi-site expansion. We also believe our vaccine to be an excellent example of next-generation vaccines, providing more robust and durable protection, especially for immunocompromised individuals who don’t adequately respond to the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines or monoclonal antibody therapies.”

Regarding the Gedeptin program, Mr. Dodd stated, “We expect to soon complete the first stage of this study, which is being funded in part by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pursuant to its Orphan Products Clinical Trials Grants Program, and then initiate an expanded Phase 2 trial focused on expedited FDA registration. We are excited about the potential for the Gedeptin ‘tumor-agnostic’ platform, which may include expanded development, both as monotherapy and combination therapy in conjunction with therapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Possible expansion indications include breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancers, among other solid tumors. This program also offers multiple opportunities for global strategic collaborations and partnerships.”

Mr. Dodd’s concluding comments focused on GeoVax’s advancements made in its MVA manufacturing process in transforming to a high-yield, high-capacity continuous cell line system, as well as the Company’s efforts for achieving expedited registration for the first U.S.-sourced vaccine against Mpox and smallpox. Mr. Dodd said, “Our progress in developing a continuous avian cell line system is nothing short of transformative for manufacturing our MVA-based vaccines and immunotherapies, and we recently partnered with Advanced Bioscience Laboratories, Inc. to support the production of our MVA-based products through late-stage development and eventual commercialization. Additionally, the recent expansion of our GEO-CM04S1 rights to include development for Mpox and smallpox adds to other rights we previously secured from the NIH covering preclinical, clinical, and commercial uses of the NIH-MVA. This provides a compelling opportunity to leverage our MVA-based vaccine expertise and help expand the global public health supply options available for the worldwide public health threats posed by SARS-CoV-2, Mpox, and smallpox.”

About GeoVax

GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies and vaccines for solid tumor cancers and many of the world’s most threatening infectious diseases. The company’s lead program in oncology is a novel oncolytic solid tumor gene-directed therapy, Gedeptin®, presently in a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial for advanced head and neck cancers. GeoVax’s lead infectious disease candidate is GEO-CM04S1, a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine targeting high-risk immunocompromised patient populations. Currently in three Phase 2 clinical trials, GEO-CM04S1 is being evaluated as a primary vaccine for immunocompromised patients such as those suffering from hematologic cancers and other patient populations for whom the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines are insufficient, and as a booster vaccine in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In addition, GEO-CM04S1 is in a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the vaccine as a more robust, durable COVID-19 booster among healthy patients who previously received the mRNA vaccines. GeoVax has a leadership team who have driven significant value creation across multiple life science companies over the past several decades. For more information, visit our website: www.geovax.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding GeoVax’s business plans. The words “believe,” “look forward to,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax is able to obtain acceptable results from ongoing or future clinical trials of its investigational products, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines can provoke the desired responses, and those products or vaccines can be used effectively, GeoVax’s viral vector technology adequately amplifies immune responses to cancer antigens, GeoVax can develop and manufacture its immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax’s vaccines will effectively prevent targeted infections in humans, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective or easier to use than GeoVax’s products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control.

Further information on our risk factors is contained in our periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K that we have filed and will file with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. 

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