G'day Ed: I just found your site while doing a search for PVAC. In PVAC??? (May 1999), Dave asked about this product. I don't know anything about it but it looks like it's about to hit the market.

Here's a quote from the Sydney Morning Herald business section (5 Oct 2000):

"[New Zealand] biotechnology company Genesis R & D Corp has a licensing deal with a US pharmaceutical firm for distribution rights to the PVAC® psoriasis treatment."

Regards. -Alex S.

*****

Ed’s Response: Thanks for sending along the quote, Alex. The U.S. Company (or company doing business in the U.S.) may be Corixa, which, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, is in phase 2 of a drug development trial for PVAC (Bulletin, September/October 2000, page 9). Frankly, this surprised me.

In the email exchange with Dave last May (linked above), it was stated (hearsay) that the Philippines trials had scored a 50% success rate. I can’t imagine going through the expense of an FDA drug trial process, for a product targeted to our relatively small population of flakers, with such a low effectiveness. I’m guessing now that "50%" was wrong.

Phase 3 of the drug trial process involves extensive testing on people, and allows at least some time to assess side effects; so, we still may be a long way from seeing PVAC® in the U.S. -Ed