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By Thomas Kupper, UNION-TRIBUNE
San Diego vaccine maker Vical said a partner received approval to start marketing a vaccine for melanoma in dogs.
The company said its vaccine Oncept, given after disease onset, significantly extends survival time after tumor removal. Dogs with stage II or III malignant melanoma typically live six months or less after surgery alone, while more than half the dogs in a study who also received the drug were still alive when the study was published.
Vical Chief Executive Vijay Samant said the company believes the Department of Agriculture approval is also a significant step toward the approval of therapeutic vaccines for humans.
Vical’s partner Merial Ltd., the animal health subsidiary of Sanofi-Aventis, plans to launch the product this weekend at a veterinary conference in Florida.