GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: GOVX) (the "Company"), an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and other infectious agents, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted its request for a pre-IND meeting to discuss the proposed Investigational New Drug (IND) application for GeoVax's therapeutic vaccine as a treatment for individuals already infected with HIV. The meeting will only take place if the Company is not satisfied or requires some clarification to the FDA's answers to the questions submitted in the pre-IND package. Following the FDA response to the Pre-IND meeting questions, GeoVax will prepare and submit to the FDA an IND application for the therapeutic trial.
Robert McNally, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer, stated, "In anticipation of a pre-IND meeting in mid December, we have submitted a pre-IND information packet to the FDA. This packet includes rationale and supporting data for each question in the pre-IND package to allow a response from the FDA. The main purpose of the Pre-IND meeting is to ensure the FDA understands the purpose, approach and endpoints for the anticipated Phase 1 therapeutic trial and that we have answers to all of our questions to the FDA prior to filing the actual IND.
"While there are no guarantees of success for our therapeutic IND package, the pre-IND process helps ensure that our IND will adequately address any concerns the FDA may have about the proposed therapeutic trial," Dr. McNally added. "We understand the extreme need for this vaccine and we understand the process necessary to navigate forward."