Opportunities
Next-generation vaccines: targeting significant unmet needs
The $13 billion global vaccine business was predicted to grow 18% per year to $30 billion in 2011, four times the 4.4% growth of the drug industry (Lehman, 2007). Successful development of a new generation of DNA-based vaccine technology would have the potential to dramatically increase this market opportunity. For example, new vaccines able to extend the capability of conventional vaccines by inducing a powerful T-cell response and providing a therapeutic capability may present the opportunity to treat the extraordinarily prevalent hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), as well as better treat HIV.
As another example, new vaccines designed to fight related but evolved strains of pathogens would have the potential to provide much better prevention and treatment of seasonal and newly emerged pandemic influenza strains.
The development of innovative cancer vaccines and infectious disease vaccines with these capabilities would dramatically expand the potential patient base and market opportunity compared to the current vaccine market. The chart below indicates a potential DNA vaccine market of 400 million patients (US & EU), expanding by approximately 22 million new incidences annually (American Cancer Society & other sources).
The DNA vaccine market potential is extraordinarily large. Many of the individual diseases that may be addressable with DNA vaccines are by themselves notable opportunities. Inovio is focused on advancing its DNA vaccine discovery, development, and delivery platforms to enable the development of vaccines against multiple diseases and indications. The company is developing pre-clinical and clinical stage vaccine product candidates against multiple important targets. In addition, partners and collaborators are also developing DNA vaccine candidates using Inovio's electroporation delivery technology