Intercell says Hepatitis C vaccine shows progress

VIENNA, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Austrian vaccine maker Intercell (ICEL.VI) said on Monday interim results from a small sample size of a Phase II study for a Hepatitis C vaccine showed a significant viral load reduction and very good safety profile. The first data came from 25 patients in an exploratory clinical study of 50 patients who were chronically infected with Genotype 1 of the Hepatitis C virus, Intercell said in a statement.

"(The) data still has to be interpreted with caution given the small sample size," said Intercell, adding full study data was expected for the first quarter of 2008.

The patients enrolled in the study were given eight injections of the IC41 vaccine in bi-weekly intervals for 14 weeks in an intensified scheduled derived from a recent optimisation study, said Intercell.

The company said it hoped the study would show that the reiterative vaccinations in the treatment period would lead to an increased constant and sustained decline in viral load among the patients.

"The present findings -- if confirmed by the final data -- would indicate for the first time that a therapeutic vaccination schedule is able to reduce Hepatitis C virus viral load and has thereby potentially opened a new door for ... treatment," Intercell said.

((Reporting by Karin Strohecker, editing by David Holmes; Vienna Newsroom +43 1 531 12 256)) Keywords: INTERCELL VACCINE/

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