Montco Firm Says 'It Leads The World In Race For A Vaccine For Zika Virus'
PLYMOUTH MEETING (CBS) -- Officials at a Plymouth Meeting pharmaceutical company say they lead the world in the race to get a Zika virus vaccine to market. They got a visit from Congressman Brendan Boyle as their research continues.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals uses a DNA based platform to create vaccines. Much faster than the traditional method of using components of the actual virus, says founder and CEO J. Joseph Kim. He says Inovio this is the first to design and make the Zika vaccine, and the first to test it in animals.
"And we'll be the first to manufacture the clinical product for Zika and later this year we'll be the first into human testing," Kim said.
Congressman Brendan Boyle met with Dr. Kim to discuss ways the federal government could help the process.
"If we put a little more forethought into these things we can be more effective and save a lot of money in the long run if we properly fund this research initially rather than waiting for an outbreak to happen," he said.
Another advantage, researchers say, since DNA-based vaccines don't use any virus, they could potentially be safer for pregnant women.