Vical's Ph III Allovectin-7 trial due to complete end-2009

US drug developer Vical says that an independent Safety Monitoring Board for the company's Phase III AIMM trial of Allovectin-7 in patients with  metastatic melanoma has completed its second scheduled safety analysis  and recommended that the trial continue. The trial is expected to  complete enrollment of the planned 375 subjects by the end of 2009.

Vical is conducting the AIMM study, a pivotal trial of its cancer  immunotherapeutic as first-line therapy in approximately 375  chemotherapy-naive patients with Stage III or IV metastatic melanoma in  accordance with a Special Protocol Assessment agreement completed with  the US Food and Drug Administration.

Under a previously-announced collaborative agreement, Japanese firm  AnGes MG is funding the AIMM trial through a series of cash payments and  equity investments. Vical has received $17.6 million to date of the  $22.6 million total committed by AnGes.