SciQuest.org

The Alzheimer's vaccine known as Affitope AD01 from Affiris has now entered the clinical phase of its development. All relevant regulatory and statutory approvals have been secured and this innovative treatment is now being tested on humans for the first time. This development means that the 8.5 million-Euro venture capital finance agreement the company concluded with Munich-based MIG-Fonds in April 2006 has reached a key milestone on schedule. Up to 24 Alzheimer's patients are to be vaccinated, with the aim of this initial phase I trial being to demonstrate the vaccine's safety and its suitability for human use. The trial is being run at the Vienna General Hospital and is due to be completed within one year. If it can be successfully proven that the vaccine has a positive safety and suitability profile, the second stage of the clinical development process could begin as early as next year. The aim of this stage in clinical testing would be to demonstrate the vaccine's efficacy, a goal that no treatment anywhere in the world has yet achieved.