In 1998, Apollon Inc was acquired by American Home Products Corp. 's Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines unit. .Apollon Inc., was formed by Centocor to focus on developing nucleic acid pharmaceuticals in cancer, allergies and infectious disease fields. The firm was a biotechnology company developing vaccines and treatments for AIDS and other infectious diseases. The company had an academic collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania. Apollon is in the business of developing nonviral, DNA-based vaccines and DNA-based gene-therapy products to prevent and treat infectious and autoimmune diseases. The company conducted eight Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of its Genevax vaccine product candidates. Apollon believes
that it initiated the first clinical trial of a therapeutic DNA-based vaccine in adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus in June 1995, and the first clinical trial of a preventive DNA-based vaccine for HIV in healthy adults in March 1996. Apollon also believes that it started the first clinical trial in healthy adults of a DNA-based preventive vaccine for herpes simplex virus in September 1996, and the first clinical trial of a DNA-based therapeutic vaccine in HSV-infected, genital herpes patients in March that year. Genevax vaccines "may have several positive attributes," including the ability to Stimulate both humoral and cellular immune responses
