VBI Vaccines to Present at the Vaccine Congress

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS--(Marketwired - Sept. 1, 2016) - VBI Vaccines Inc. (NASDAQ:VBIV)(TSX:VBV) ("VBI") is scheduled to present at the 10th Vaccine Congress on Monday, September 5, 2016 at 12:45 PM CEST (6:45 AM ET). The event is being held at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

During the presentation, eVLP Delivery of an Optimized Form of CMV gB Antigen for Prophylactic Vaccination against Congenital CMV, Dr. Francisco Diaz-Mitoma, M.D., Ph.D., VBI's Chief Medical Officer, will summarize recent developments in the company's cytomegalovirus ("CMV") vaccine program, including new data that demonstrates the desirable properties of VBI's eVLP Platform.

VBI's eVLP Platform allows for the design of enveloped ("e") virus-like particle ("VLP") vaccines. eVLPs are an innovative new class of vaccines that closely mimic the target virus to elicit a potent immune response. Because of their structural similarity to viruses found in nature, vaccination with a target protein expressed in an eVLP may be capable of imparting greater immunity than vaccination with the same recombinant target protein alone(1).

New data from a preclinical study, conducted over a twelve-month time period, demonstrates that prior exposure to eVLPs does not impact the kinetics or potency of subsequent eVLP vaccinations.

"This new data shows that there is a potent immune response to the target CMV antigen being presented by the eVLP, but very little immune response to the eVLP itself," said Dr. Diaz-Mitoma. "This is important because a strong immune reaction to the eVLP might lead to rapid clearance by the immune system, potentially impacting the effectiveness of subsequent vaccinations. We are encouraged by this data, which supports the use of multiple dose regimens of eVLP vaccines."

VBI's lead eVLP is a preventative CMV vaccine candidate. VBI is conducting a Phase I clinical study to assess the safety and tolerability of its CMV vaccine candidate in 125 healthy CMV-negative adults. The study will also measure levels of vaccine-induced CMV neutralizing antibodies that may prevent CMV infection. The study is expected to last 20 months with preliminary results anticipated in the first half of 2017.

CMV can cause serious disease in newborns when a mother is infected during pregnancy. Each year, approximately 5,000 U.S. infants will develop permanent problems due to CMV, which can include deafness, blindness, and mental retardation(2). CMV affects more live births than Down syndrome or fetal alcohol syndrome(3), making it a key public health priority and a strong candidate for recommended universal vaccination and reimbursement(4).