FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13s - 16 or 15d - 16 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the month of April 2006
Acambis plc
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
Peterhouse Technology Park
100 Fulbourn Road
Cambridge CB1 9PT
England
(address of principal executive offices)
(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F
Forms 20-F X Form 40-F
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934).
Yes No X
(if "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant
in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82- ).
Enclosure:
JE trials fully recruited
Acambis completes enrolment of Phase 3 JE vaccine trials ahead of schedule
Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts - 19 April 2006 - Acambis plc
(Acambis) (LSE: ACM, NASDAQ: ACAM) announces that it has completed enrolment
into two pivotal Phase 3 trials of its investigational vaccine against Japanese
encephalitis (JE), ChimeriVax-JE, ahead of schedule. With this milestone met,
Acambis remains on track for preparing the ChimeriVax-JE licence applications
for submission in India and Australia in 2007.
More than 2,800 healthy adults are involved in the two Phase 3 trials, which are
designed to provide comprehensive safety data and to evaluate the neutralising
antibody responses of a single-dose of ChimeriVax-JE compared to JE-VAX(R), a
licensed three-dose JE vaccine. The multi-centre trials were initiated in
November 2005 and are being conducted in Australia and the US.
Acambis' Chief Executive Officer Gordon Cameron commented:
"We are making rapid progress towards our goal of submitting licence
applications for Australia and India next year. With enrolment into the Phase 3
trials completed earlier than planned, we have taken an important step toward
addressing the unmet medical need for a convenient, single-dose and affordable
vaccine for travellers and endemic populations where JE is an ever-present
threat."
In 2005, a JE epidemic in northern India and Nepal caused 1,200 deaths, mostly
in children. Acambis plans to initiate a Phase 2 paediatric trial of
ChimeriVax-JE in India, where children are the primary population in need of a
JE vaccine, in the second quarter of 2006.
Enquiries:
Acambis:
Gordon Cameron, Chief Executive Officer
David Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer
Lyndsay Wright, VP, Communications and Investor Relations
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 275 300
Financial Dynamics:
David Yates/Anna Keeble
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 3113
Notes to editors:
Japanese encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis is a virus transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and is the
leading cause of childhood encephalitis and viral encephalitis in Asia. Last
year, a JE epidemic affecting areas of northern India and Nepal, resulted in
6,340 cases and more than 1,200 deaths, mostly of children. Every year, there
are an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 cases of JE, approximately 25-30% of which are
fatal; a high proportion of survivors are left with serious neurological
impairment1.
ChimeriVax-JE
Acambis is developing the ChimeriVax-JE vaccine using its proprietary ChimeriVax
technology, which was originally developed in collaboration with St. Louis
University. The ChimeriVax technology is also the basis for Acambis' vaccine
candidates against West Nile and dengue, both of which are currently in Phase 2
clinical trials.
About Acambis
Acambis is a leading developer of vaccines to prevent and treat infectious
diseases. Recognised internationally as the leading producer of smallpox
vaccines, Acambis is developing an investigational smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000,
and is manufacturing emergency-use stockpiles of this investigational vaccine
for the US Government and other governments around the world. It is also
developing an attenuated smallpox vaccine, MVA3000, under contracts with the US
National Institutes of Health. Acambis' US-based subsidiary Berna Products
Corporation markets Vivotif(R), the world's only licensed oral typhoid vaccine,
in North America. Acambis' investigational vaccine against Japanese
encephalitis, ChimeriVax-JE, is undergoing Phase 3 clinical testing. It also has
the most advanced investigational vaccine against the West Nile virus, which has
spread to 48 US States in the last six years, and a vaccine against Clostridium
difficile bacteria, a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.
Acambis is based in Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. Its primary
listing is on the London Stock Exchange (ACM) and its shares are listed in the
form of American Depositary Receipts on NASDAQ (ACAM). More information is
available at www.acambis.com.
"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995:
The statements in this news release that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the
timing and results of clinical trials, product development, manufacturing and
commercialisation risks, the risks of satisfying the regulatory approval process
in a timely manner, the need for and the availability of additional capital. For
a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties see "Risk management" in
the Company's 2004 Annual Report and "Risk factors" in its Form 20-F, in
addition to those detailed on the Company's website and in the Company's filings
made with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These
forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the
management of Acambis and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently
uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual results or experience could differ
materially from the forward-looking statements.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant Peptide Therapeutics Group has duly caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: 19 April 2006 ACAMBIS PLC
By: /s/ Lyndsay Wright
Name: Lyndsay Wright
Title: VP, Communications and IR.