Not all Vaccine news is good lately...

After all the positive news surrounding the success of single dose H1N1 vaccines, the start of large scale smoking cessation vaccine studies by Nabi, and the approval of Gardasil for the prevention of genital warts in boys, there was some not so good news for Cytos.

The company had little choice but to streamline its staff after disappointing trial results of its hyptertension vaccine. They should be doing initial analysis of the results to see if their technology is actually going to do what they hope as well as try and salvage some positive data for investors (and potential marketing partners) to chew on. If you recall Cytos is hoping to develop vaccines using an interesting program that inhibits Angiotensin II, and potentially reducing or eliminating a future need for additional medications in those with High Blood Pressure. The idea sounds good to me, but I would be hesitant about a product that develops antibodies to substances that are exist naturally in the human body.

Check out the clinical trial release here and an article about the vaccine technology from the Washington Post


For some good news, though, Targacept continues its good fortune with very promising results of its Phase II depression disorder trial. A small company with a promising drug line, Targacept's stock has been heading up over the past year and will continue this trend with such good looking study results.

Check it out here