Business Wire - October 13, 2009

SAN DIEGO - Inovio Biomedical Corporation (NYSE Amex:INO), a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that Dr. J. Joseph Kim, president and CEO, presented at the invitation-only World Knowledge Forum being held in Seoul, South Korea. In Dr. Kim's presentation today, titled "Developing universal SynCon(TM) vaccines to improve human lives," he introduced Inovio's proprietary DNA vaccine development platform, called SynCon(TM), an approach to producing DNA-based vaccines with great potential to prevent and treat chronic infectious diseases and cancer. In addition to this presentation, Dr. Kim served on a panel titled "Medical Divide in Creative Capitalism: New Paradigm 'Healthnomics'."

Inovio has created a novel platform for developing and delivering "universal" DNA-based vaccines against diseases such as influenza, HIV, malaria, dengue, and cervical cancer. Inovio's universal vaccines have shown preclinical results indicating their potential to protect against new, unknown strains of an infectious disease such as the currently circulating H1N1 "swine flu."

In particular, Dr. Kim highlighted recent results from a combination of its synthetic consensus (SynConTM) H1N1 influenza vaccine candidates, which achieved protective antibody responses against the novel pandemic influenza A/H1N1 (2009) in 100% of tested ferrets. The ferret model is widely considered to be the most representative of human influenza; achieving in ferrets a level of antibody titers correlated with protection in humans is a critical milestone in influenza vaccine development. In this experiment, a single vaccination showed induction of positive immune responses in 78% (7 of 9) of ferrets, with a mean HI titer of 1:42 (a titer is a measure of antibody levels against a virus; in the case of influenza, an HI titer exceeding 1:40 in animals, including humans, is considered to be a protective level). After two booster shots, 100% of immunized ferrets had HI titers greater than 1:40, with the mean titer rising to 1:390, representing a very strong increase in antibodies.

Inovio has now completed cGMP clinical product manufacturing of its H1N1 SynCon(TM) vaccine candidate, an important step in advancing the candidate toward clinical testing. As part of the company's strategy for its universal influenza vaccine, the H1N1 vaccine would be combined with Inovio's H5N1 vaccine candidate, for which an IND has already been submitted to the FDA. On the path toward its universal influenza vaccine concept, Inovio will also mix in constructs for H2N2 and H3N2 influenza sub-types; together these four sub-types were responsible for most of the seasonal and pandemic influenza outbreaks of the last 100 years.

Dr. Kim also described the company's recently reported results for its therapeutic HPV/cervical cancer DNA vaccine. Inovio reported significant T-cell responses in 50% (3 of 6) and strong antibody responses in 83% (5 of 6) subjects treated with just the first, low-dose group in its phase I clinical study. Generating a significant T-cell immune response is considered imperative to treating cancers and infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C virus. The T-cell immune responses generated in this study were among the strongest generated by a DNA vaccine in humans.

Each year the World Knowledge Forum, also known as Asia's Davos Forum, established in 2000, gathers more than 100 business and opinion leaders from around the world ranging from environmental and international organizations to some of the world's biggest corporations and institutions. These leaders open new paradigms and discuss possible solutions for problems that are already, or might become, an issue. The main aim is to highlight the importance of knowledge sharing towards a balanced prosperity of the global economy. Past business leaders invited to speak at this prestigious international conference include: Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft; Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group; and, Michael Dell, Chairman, Dell.

About Inovio Biomedical Corporation

Inovio Biomedical is focused on the design, development, and delivery of a new generation of vaccines, called DNA vaccines, to prevent and treat cancers and infectious diseases. The company's SynCon(TM) technology enables the design of DNA-based vaccines capable of protecting against both known and new, unknown strains of pathogens such as influenza. Inovio's proprietary electroporation-based DNA vaccine delivery technology has been shown by initial human data to safely and significantly increase gene expression and immune responses. Inovio's clinical programs include HPV/cervical cancer (therapeutic) and HIV vaccines. An IND has been filed for an avian influenza vaccine. Inovio is developing its universal and avian influenza vaccines in collaboration with scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, the National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the NIH's Vaccine Research Center. Other partners and collaborators include Merck, Tripep, University of Southampton, National Cancer Institute, and HIV Vaccines Trial Network. More information is available at www.inovio.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our plans to develop electroporation-based drug and gene delivery technologies and DNA vaccines. Actual events or results may differ from the expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of factors, including uncertainties inherent in clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to, the fact that pre-clinical and clinical results referenced in this release may not be indicative of results achievable in other trials or for other indications, that results from one study may not necessarily be reflected or supported by the results of other similar studies and that results from an animal study may not be indicative of results achievable in human studies), the availability of funding to support continuing research and studies in an effort to prove safety and efficacy of electroporation technology as a delivery mechanism or develop viable DNA vaccines, the ability to manufacture vaccine candidates, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by us or our collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or treatment that we and our collaborators hope to develop, evaluation of potential opportunities, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide the parties with meaningful protection from others using the covered technologies, whether such proprietary rights are enforceable or defensible or infringe or allegedly infringe on rights of others or can withstand claims of invalidity and whether the combined company can finance or devote other significant resources that may be necessary to prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate expenditures, assessments of the companies' combined technology by potential corporate or other partners or collaborators, capital market conditions, our ability to successfully integrate Inovio and VGX Pharmaceuticals, the impact of government healthcare proposals and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, our Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2009, and other regulatory filings from time to time. There can be no assurance that any product in Inovio's pipeline will be successfully developed or manufactured, that final results of clinical studies will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market licensed products, or that any of the forward-looking information provided herein will be proven accurate.

Contacts

Investors:

Inovio Biomedical

Bernie Hertel, 858-410-3101

or

Media:

Richardson & Associates

Jeff Richardson, 805-491-8313

091013
BW091014

Copyright © 2009 - Business Wire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Business Wire, Permissions Desk, Business Wire, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036; Tel: (212) 575-8822; FAX: (212) 575-1854. http://www.businesswire.com.

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2009. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2009. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .