VCNX

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 9, 2023

Vaccinex, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(585) 271-2700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

On March 9, 2023, Vaccinex, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that it has enrolled 36 subjects in the open-label, Phase 1b/2 KEYNOTE-B84 study (NCT04815720) to evaluate first line therapy of pepinemab in combination with the anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor, pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®), in immunotherapy naïve patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and that it expects to conduct a planned interim analysis and disclose the results in mid-2023.

KEYTRUDA® is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

The information furnished pursuant to this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1 shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities under such section and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1944, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.