Sinobiomed Inc. (OTCBB: SOBM) will begin a Phase II clinical trial of its malaria vaccine candidate, PfCP2.9, in Thailand in Q3 2008. Thailand is currently experiencing a malaria epidemic, which is why the trial is sited there.

In its Phase I trial, which was completed in 2004, PfCP2.9 generated a strong immune response with only mild side effects. In January 2008, Sinobiomed was awarded a 9 million RMB ($1.2 million) government grant for PfCP2.9 as part of China’s 863 Program that encourages technologically innovative products.

Two-thirds of the money will be used to underwrite the costs of the clinical trial; the other one-third will support development of a multistage, multivalent vaccine, based on PfCP2.9. The current form of the vaccine targets the most deadly malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) at its most destructive stage – rapid replication in human red blood cells. The goal of the multivalent vaccine is to improve immunogenicity and extend the immune period.

The PcFP2.9 vaccine was developed by SMMU. Sinobiomed’s China subsidiary, Shanghai Wanxing, has exclusive rights to market the product, if it is approved.

The Phase II trial of the malaria vaccine will be conducted by Sinobiomed in collaboration with Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. The study site is located in Thailand's Ratchaburi Province, approximately 200 km from Bangkok near the Myanmar border.

Disclosure: none.