EQS-News: GeoVax Accelerates Development of GEO-MVA Vaccine Amid Expanding Global Mpox Crisis and Reaffirmed WHO Emergency Designation

EMA Scientific Guidance, Global Surge in Clade I Mpox, and Aid Shortfalls Drive Urgent Need for Scalable, Equitable Vaccine Solutions

ATLANTA, GA - July 29, 2025 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) - GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX), a biotechnology company developing multi-antigenic vaccines and immunotherapies against infectious diseases and cancer, today announced an expedited development strategy for its GEO-MVA Mpox vaccine candidate, following newly reaffirmed global emergency status by the World Health Organization (WHO), a record-setting surge in Mpox cases across Africa, and recent favorable scientific advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) supporting an expedited development path for GEO-MVA.

These developments reinforce the urgent global need for diversified, scalable vaccine platforms amid critical shortages and growing international spread of more virulent Mpox strains.

Global Mpox Cases Surge Beyond 2024 Totals; Africa’s Health Systems Overwhelmed

More than 21,000 confirmed Mpox cases have been reported in 13 African countries so far in 2025 - exceeding the total case count for all of 2024 - with numbers expected to double by year-end. Sierra Leone, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are among the most heavily impacted, with healthcare systems under severe strain due to significant U.S. and European aid reductions.

Only 700,000 Mpox vaccine doses have been administered across 11 countries, and key nations like Sierra Leone are still awaiting most of their requested supply. In the DRC alone, over 60,000 suspected cases and nearly 1,800 deaths have been reported. The crisis is being further complicated by armed conflict, collapsing infrastructure, and the emergence of Clade I and Clade 1a Mpox variants, which exhibit greater severity and transmissibility.

Global Spillover and WHO Emergency Status Highlight Urgency

The WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee reconvened on July 5, 2025, and officially reaffirmed Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The WHO’s Situation Report #55, released July 11, underscores the worsening multi-country outbreak and mounting strain on surveillance, laboratory, and response systems.

International spread is accelerating. Clade I Mpox cases have now been confirmed in China, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States. U.S. health officials have identified five travel-related Clade I cases since late 2024, including a confirmed case in Massachusetts in June 2025, while wastewater testing confirms silent community transmission.

The CDC continues to emphasize surveillance efforts - including wastewater and diagnostic testing - but warns that current tools are insufficient to contain a broader outbreak without expanded vaccine access and supply.

EMA Guidance Supports Expedited GEO-MVA Pathway

GeoVax has received favorable scientific advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regarding the development of GEO-MVA. The EMA guidance supports a streamlined regulatory pathway, enabling GeoVax to pursue expedited development and potential conditional approval of GEO-MVA as an additional Mpox vaccine candidate in the EU. This guidance strengthens the GEO-MVA development program’s relevance to global procurement programs, including those of WHO and UNICEF.

GeoVax Response: Acceleration, Scalability, and Equitable Access

In light of these developments, GeoVax is implementing a comprehensive, expedited development strategy:

• Clinical Development Acceleration: Finalizing fill-finish manufacturing and initiating human trials to evaluate safety and immunogenicity against both Clade I and Clade II variants. Regulatory planning includes immuno-bridging studies for global deployment.
• Advanced MVA Manufacturing Platform: Development is underway for GEO-MVA’s production using a continuous avian cell line system, enabling rapid, large-scale, and cost-effective production - addressing a key shortfall of the incumbent egg-based method.
• International Collaboration: Engaging health authorities, NGOs, and regional partners across Africa to ensure vaccine readiness and coordinated deployment to underserved and high-risk populations.
• Policy Engagement: Advocating for vaccine platform diversification and calling on governments and international donors to break the global reliance on a single supplier for Mpox vaccines.

David Dodd, Chairman & CEO of GeoVax, commented: “With Mpox cases rapidly rising across Africa and the WHO reaffirming global emergency status, the world must act urgently. The emergence of Clade I across multiple continents and the persistent lack of vaccine access underscore the need for scalable and diversified solutions. GEO-MVA is designed to meet this moment - leveraging our regulatory momentum from the EMA, efforts to accelerate implementation of our continuous manufacturing platform and an unwavering commitment to equitable access. We stand ready to be part of the solution, both scientifically and humanely.”

About GeoVax

GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel vaccines against infectious diseases and therapies for solid tumor cancers. The Company’s lead clinical program is GEO-CM04S1, a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine currently in three Phase 2 clinical trials, being evaluated as (1) a primary vaccine for immunocompromised patients such as those suffering from hematologic cancers and other patient populations for whom the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines are insufficient, (2) a booster vaccine in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and (3) a more robust, durable COVID-19 booster among healthy patients who previously received the mRNA vaccines. In oncology the lead clinical program is evaluating a novel oncolytic solid tumor gene-directed therapy, Gedeptin®, having recently completed a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial for advanced head and neck cancers. GeoVax is also developing a vaccine targeting Mpox and smallpox and, based on recent EMA regulatory guidance, anticipates progressing directly to a Phase 3 clinical evaluation, omitting Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials. GeoVax has a strong IP portfolio in support of its technologies and product candidates, holding worldwide rights for its technologies and products. For more information about the current status of our clinical trials and other updates, visit our website: www.geovax.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding GeoVax’s business plans. The words “believe,” “look forward to,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax is able to obtain acceptable results from ongoing or future clinical trials of its investigational products, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines can provoke the desired responses, and those products or vaccines can be used effectively, GeoVax’s viral vector technology adequately amplifies immune responses to cancer antigens, GeoVax can develop and manufacture its immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax’s vaccines will effectively prevent targeted infections in humans, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective or easier to use than GeoVax’s products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control.

Further information on our risk factors is contained in our periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K that we have filed and will file with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Company Contact:
info@geovax.com
678-384-7220

Investor Relations Contact:
geovax@precisionaq.com
212-698-8696

Media Contact:
Jessica Starman
media@geovax.com 

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