US biotechnology company Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (Inovio) announced on 1 March 2021 the completion of its Phase II enrolment for a mid-to-late stage US trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, IN0-4800, Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday.

Inovia expects to report data from this Phase II study early in the second quarter of 2021.

The company said it was testing the impact of IN0-4800 on new SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as developing next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidates that could be tailored to known and unknown SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Senior executive of Inovio, Kate Broderick, was quoted as saying: "The pan-COVID candidate is designed to provide protection against the UK, South African and Brazilian stream as well as potentially the currently unknown SARS-CoV-2 variant."

Reportedly, the company had started developing the vaccine last year, but fell behind rivals who have already received US authorisation, after the Food and Drug Administration put a portion of the US study of IN0-4800 on hold, as it sought details on the vaccine delivery device.

Inovio said it was actively working to address FDA concerns and expects to begin the Phase III portion in "later part of the second quarter this year."

The company is also testing the usage of IN0-4800 as a seasonal booster shot. Reportedly, 93 of 120 patients from an early-stage vaccine trial have already received a third booster shot and Inovio expects to share immune response in the second quarter.