Scancell Holdings PLC (AIM:SCLP, OTC:SCNLF) said it had dosed its first patient with the second vaccine candidate being assessed in its early stage Covid trial in South Africa.
The phase I COVIDITY study has been set up to assess the safety and potential immune effect of two candidates - SCOV1 and SCOV2 - prior to testing them as a booster.
The company said that based on the initial 16 patients in the first group, Scancell’s SCOV1 immunisations had been well tolerated with no safety concerns.
Further data from the studies will be provided at some point in the first half of 2022, Scancell confirmed.
In the update, the company also said preclinical studies of both vaccine candidates showed they induced responses against the Omicron variant of Covid, with the strongest seen with SCOV2.
Scancell chief executive, Professor Lindy Durrant, said: “The Scancell team and collaborators remain convinced that a more durable and broader-acting vaccine is required to combat the global pandemic and we are encouraged by the emerging data supporting the use of our vaccines against new variants."