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| |  Novel Herpes Vaccine in Development HAMILTON, Mont., Aug. 10, 1995 -- The following was released today by Ribi ImmunoChem Research, Inc.: SmithKline Beecham (NYSE: SBE) is pursuing development of a novel herpes vaccine in part because of the availability of an improved adjuvant, MPL immunostimulant, from Ribi ImmunoChem Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIBI), according to remarks by a SmithKline Beecham researcher at an international herpes conference earlier this month in the Netherlands. SmithKline Beecham has licensed MPL immunostimulant from Ribi ImmunoChem for use in the development and potential commercialization of preventive vaccines for herpes and other specified infectious diseases. Dr. Moncef Slaoui, Director of Immunology-Biology Research and Development for SmithKline Beecham Biologicals in Belgium, remarked that after identifying a glycoprotein D as the most important antigen with a major role in establishing natural infection and as a good target for both humoral (antibody) and cellular immune responses, it was found in initial animal testing that the candidate glycoprotein D vaccine using traditional adjuvants did not provide complete protection and did not enhance a cellular immune response. A strong cellular response is necessary to prevent herpes and to control and clear the herpes virus from the body, Dr. Slaoui said. Driving a strong antibody response, the traditional basis for vaccine design, is not sufficient to prevent herpes, he said, because the virus is generally transmitted via mucosal surfaces, where antibodies are not present in sufficient amounts nor long-lived enough to provide ongoing protection. Dr. Slaoui noted that MPL immunostimulant as an adjuvant selectively simulates the immune system to help target the desired cellular immune response. He noted that animal and early human testing confirmed the ability of the herpes vaccine using MPL to generate an enhanced cellular response, which correlated with enhanced protection, as well as a significant antibody response. He also noted that the vaccine containing MPL was well tolerated in uninfected volunteers. SmithKline Beecham is confirming the efficacy of the vaccine, Dr. Slaoui said, in a clinical trial using a selected consort design, where one partner in a couple has herpes and the other does not, involving 600 vaccinees at 60 centers in the U.S., Canada, Scandinavia and Europe, with doses at 0,1 and 6 months and a 12-month follow-up. CONTACT: Sharyn Arnold at 215-751-7074 at SmithKline Beecham.
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