Acambis announces global collaboration agreement with Sanofi Pasteur on leading West Nile vaccine

15-Nov-2007

Acambis plc announced that it has signed an exclusive global collaboration agreement with Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, for Acambis' ChimeriVax(TM)-West Nile vaccine. Under the terms of the agreement, Acambis will receive an upfront payment of $10m in 2007 and would be eligible for pre- and post-marketing milestone payments of up to $70m based on product approval and sales in the US market. It would also be entitled to receive development funding and royalties on net sales of the vaccine. In addition, if the vaccine were registered in other countries, Acambis would be entitled to further post-marketing milestone payments and royalties. Acambis will continue to perform ChimeriVax(TM)-West Nile development activities, up to and including the filing of a licence application in the US.

There is currently no human vaccine for prevention and no specific treatment for West Nile virus-related disease, which is now considered endemic in North America. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified those aged 50 and above as being most at risk of severe West Nile virus-related disease. In the US, this population totals more than 87 million people. As of 6 November 2007, 3,265 cases of West Nile disease and 92 deaths have been recorded by the CDC in 42 US States this year.

Acambis is currently conducting a Phase 2 trial of ChimeriVax(TM)-West Nile in adults aged 41-64 years and 65 years and above. Preliminary data from a previous Phase 2 dose-ranging trial in healthy adults have shown that over 98% of subjects seroconverted 28 days after a single vaccination. The safety profile of the vaccine has been shown to be satisfactory. Acambis' West Nile vaccine candidate uses its proprietary ChimeriVax(TM) technology, which was developed in association with St Louis University.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/74312/acambis-announces-global-collaboration-agreement-with-sanofi-pasteur-on-leading-west-nile-vaccine.html