Nabi Biopharmaceuticals moves forward with anti-smoking vaccine

By Rebecca Melvin

Princeton, N.J., Feb. 14 - Nabi Biopharmaceuticals will begin proof-of-concept phase 2 trials of NicVAX in the second quarter and advance the program in both the United States and Europe, senior vice president Henrik Rasmussen said.

NicVAX, or Nicotine conjugate vaccine, is being developed to prevent nicotine addition, to help in smoking cessation and to prevent relapse.

NicVAX works by generating antibodies against nicotine, which prevent nicotine from entering the brain and thereby take away the "rush" people get when smoking, Rasmussen said.

The vaccine is manufactured in Nabi's vaccine facility in Boca Raton.

It will be administered as four subcutaneous injections over a six-month period and will provide antismoking activity for up to 12 months; Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen was speaking at the Biotechnology Industry Organization CEO and Investor Conference in New York.

The Nabi outlined other upcoming milestones expected in 2006 such as product approvals in Europe for PhosLo use in end-stage renal disease and Hebig in transplant patients in Europe, and initiation of hepatitis Civacir proof-of-concept phase 2 in the second half. But overall the company emphasized its anti-smoking treatment at the conference.

Smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the western world, Rasmussen said. It reduces life expectancy by about 14 years, and there are about 50 million smokers in the United States alone.

The current market of anti-smoking treatments are over-the-counter products that totaled about $800 million in sales in 2004, Rasmussen said.

Boca Raton, Fla.-based Nabi Biopharmaceuticals currently focuses on Gram-positive bacterial infections, hepatitis, nephrology and nicotine addiction.

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