16 January 2012 - Austrian vaccine specialist Intercell AG (FRA:IJE) and Statens Serum Institut (SSI) said last week they have commenced a Phase II trial of their collaborative tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate.

The alliance utilises SSI's tuberculosis subunit vaccine candidate and Intercell's IC31 adjuvant.

The randomised, double-blind study will investigate the immunogenicity and safety of two doses of an adjuvanted TB subunit vaccine candidate, H1IC (a combination of SSI's Ag85B-ESAT-6 + Intercell's IC31), in HIV-positive individuals.

The trial will be carried out in South Africa and Tanzania and is funded by EDCTP (European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership) and conducted in partnership with Aurum Institute, Ifakara Health Institute, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the South African TB Vaccine Initiative.

The parties expect the first results in 2013 and intend to initiate a second Phase II trial this year to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate in healthy adolescents.