ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc., (“ITI”), a privately-held clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the study of nucleic acid immunotherapy platforms, and WhyWeVax™ (WWV), a non-profit organization dedicated to building vaccine confidence, workforce security and countering vaccine misinformation, announced that executives from both organizations recently made public comments discussing the science of COVID-19 vaccines and the challenges of vaccine hesitancy and distribution.
Sia Anagnostou, Senior Director of Corporate Development for ITI and WWV Board Secretary, recently made public comments during the ACIP emergency meeting in support of the CDC’s recommendation to allocate the initial COVID vaccine doses – expected late Dec 2020 - Jan 2021 – to health care workers and people living in long-term care facilities. In addition to the ACIP discussion, Dr. William Hearl, CEO of ITI and Chairman of WWV, was interviewed on Fox News 29 in Philadelphia to amplify the commentary on these topics.
“It is important that leaders in the biotechnology community speak out wherever possible to effectively communicate the value, safety and efficacy of vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases,” said Dr. Hearl. “Participation in immunization education and support of Public Health efforts is of the utmost importance as we face the global challenge of this pandemic.”
The public comments at ACIP and on Fox News are available here:
https://www.fox29.com/video/876822.amp
About Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc.
Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI) is a privately-held, clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of vaccines through its investigational proprietary technology platform, UNiversal Intracellular Targeted Expression (UNITE), which is designed to utilize the body’s natural biochemistry to develop vaccines that have the potential to generate broad immune responses. The UNITE platform has a robust history of applications in various therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases, oncology, allergy and autoimmune diseases. ITI is primarily focused on applying the UNITE platform to oncology, where it could potentially have broad applications, including targeting viral antigens, cancer antigens, neoantigens and producing antigen-derived antibodies as biologics. In early 2020, an investment of over $60M by HLB Co., LTD, a global pharmaceutical company, enabled ITI to accelerate application of its immuno-oncology platform, in particular to glioblastoma multiforme, and rapidly advance other key candidates in the pipeline, including the most recent initiative into infectious diseases with development of its vaccine candidate for COVID-19. The Company has built a large pipeline from UNITE with eight oncology programs, multiple animal health programs and a SARS-CoV-2 program to prevent and treat COVID-19. ITI has entered into a significant allergy partnership with Astellas Pharma and has formed several academic collaborations with leading Immuno-oncology researchers at Duke University and the University of Florida. ITI maintains its headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit www.immunomix.com.
About Why We Vaccinate, Inc.
WhyWeVax™ - www.whywevax.org - is a 501(3)(c) educational organization dedicated to provide a credible and trusted source for honest and factual information on vaccines, their efficacy, safety and importance to public health. WhyWeVax™ works to counter the misinformation, anti-science rhetoric and virulent fake news dissemination that question the safety and efficacy of vaccines for preventable infectious diseases. The development of a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 and its ultimate manufacture and distribution through the healthcare system will require a concerted effort by the biotechnology, academic, medical and scientific communities to meet the challenge of vaccine hesitancy and refusal. WhyWeVax™ will support educate the population to the value of vaccines to protect the health and safety of their families, their friends, their communities and our way of life.