Repligen Halts AIDS Vaccine Program

Repligen has stopped development of its RP400c therapeutic AIDS vaccine, which targets the V3 loop of the virus, as part of a business restructuring program. Because of a lack of funding, RP400c and a prophylactic vaccine program have been dropped to make way for four other projects; recombinant platelet factor-4, AM285, B7-2 blockers and m60.1. An interleukin-8 receptor project has also been stopped.

rPF4 is in Phase II development for heparin neutralization and treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma, and is in Phase I/II trials for various solid tumors. The m60.1 program is in Phase I/II for thoraco-abdominal and abdominal aortic aneurysm under an anti-inflammatory agreement with Eli Lilly. AM285 is a small-molecule immune modulator which is in Phase I testing for late-stage solid tumors. The B7-2 blocker immune modulator program is at the preclinical stage.

Repligen was developing the AIDS vaccines in collaboration with Merck & Co. Merck has the option to pick up the development of the product in Phase II, but Repligen has said that it is in discussions with Merck regarding a possible licensing agreement for the product.