Microbix Biosystems Inc. (TSX: MBX), a biotechnology company commercializing novel technologies to enhance vaccine production yields, and other innovative biologics, announced today that the European Patent Office recently granted patent protection for the company's proprietary VIRUSMAX™ technology, which is designed to increase influenza vaccine yields and has demonstrated an average yield increase of at least two-fold over current vaccine production methods.
The newly granted European Patent No. EP 1636352 entitled "Improvement in Virus Production," covers the material, process and use of the VIRUSMAX technology that is the basis for the Microbix/Hunan Joint venture - which is underway to build Asia's largest influenza vaccine production facility and the third largest vaccine plant in the world. The first phase of the facility is expected to be fully operational in 2013.
Crucible International Biotechnologies Corp., a majority-owned subsidiary of Microbix, is facilitating the start-up and operation of this joint venture and will advance the commercialization of its VIRUSMAX™ technology in other markets, which are protected by patents that run well beyond the next decade. The new facility in China will ultimately have the capacity to produce more than 100 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine annually, and up to 300 million doses of a pandemic influenza vaccine in the event of an outbreak to immunize against a single strain of influenza.
William J. Gastle, Microbix' Chief Executive Officer, said: "With the European patent in hand, Microbix' vaccine enhancement technology has patent protection in the world's largest markets. We can now look for further opportunities for VIRUSMAX, beyond the China market, with a dominant patent estate."
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