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Big Pharma To Test Zika Virus Vaccines On Humans

The quest to find a vaccine for the Zika virus is on as the World Health Organization announce the virus is spreading “explosively” and the National Institute for Health officially declare the outbreak to be pandemic. The vaccine funding is already in place…and so is worldwide fear. At least three pharmaceutical companies are either considering or actively pursing programs, including giants GlaxoSmithKline GSK , and Sanofi SNY. But the company that appears to be the farthest along is a relatively small $500 million market cap biotech named Inovio Pharmacuetucals. Truth Kings Report: According to financial news site, StreetInsider.com, Inovio Pharma has announced it plans to start testing the Zika vaccine (which currently does not exist) in humans. Inovio Pharma (NASDAQ: INO) CEO J. Joseph Kim said in a phone interview with Bloomberg that it plans to start testing its DNA-based Zika vaccine in non-human primates. Currently the vaccine is being tested on lab mice, but it is able to move faster than traditional vaccine development timelines. Testing in humans is targeted for this year. Keep in mind, Inovio in this case is releasing PR based on funding, so the testing on humans portion is deliberate and widely accepted. The vaccine [...]