Sept 3 (Reuters) - Vical Inc said it received a new U.S. patent covering its Vaxfectin-formulated DNA vaccines for seasonal and pandemic influenza, sending its shares up 26 percent in pre-market trade.
The company is currently developing Vaxfectin-formulated DNA vaccines for both H5N1 avian-origin and H1N1 swine-origin pandemic influenza, the company said in a statement.
Vaxfectin-formulated H5N1 influenza DNA vaccines completed early-stage human testing in 2008, it said.
Shares of the company were up 26 percent at $5.55 in pre-market trade Thursday. They closed at $4.41 Wednesday on Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Anuradha Ramanathan in Bangalore; Editing by Ratul Ray Chaudhuri) Keywords: VICAL/FLU (anuradha.ramanathan@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800: Reuters Messaging: anuradha.ramanathan.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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