VaxInnate
Corporation today announced that it has granted Indian
biopharmaceutical company Biological E. Limited a license to its
recombinant H1N1 pandemic swine flu vaccine and is collaborating to
facilitate the manufacture, clinical development and commercialization
of the vaccine in India.
“As a leading
vaccine provider, we hope to play a key role in protecting Indians and
other South Asians from pandemic H1N1 flu.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the vaccine will enter clinical
development in India early this year and could become available for
emergency use in India after completion of clinical trials. As with all
new vaccines, the Indian Government must approve the vaccine based upon
clinical evaluation before it can be used. Financial terms of the
agreement include initial fees, milestone payments and royalties on
sales. Additional details were not disclosed.
Biological
E. is a leading provider of vaccines to the Indian government. The
company has a long history of successful collaborations with many
multinational companies.
The ability to produce VaxInnate’s recombinant vaccine in a bacterial
expression system will enable Biological E. to manufacture vaccine at
the company’s existing biotechnology facilities with microbial
production capacity. Biological E. should be capable of manufacturing
sufficient H1N1 vaccine in several months to address the needs of
India’s 1.2 billion population in a public health emergency.
The agreement also permits Biological E. to sell excess vaccine to other
South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. South Asia is home to one-fifth of the
world’s population.
“Biological E. looks forward to working closely with VaxInnate to
rapidly develop and manufacture this innovative vaccine in India,” said
Dr. Vijay Kumar Datla, Chairman & Managing Director of BE. “As a leading
vaccine provider, we hope to play a key role in protecting Indians and
other South Asians from pandemic H1N1 flu.”