Vical and AnGes Announce Collaboration to Develop Therapy for Ebola Virus Disease
January 14 2015 - 05:00AM
Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq:VICL) and AnGes MG (Tokyo:4563)
announced today that they have entered into collaboration to
develop and commercialize an equine polyclonal antibody therapy for
patients afflicted with Ebola virus disease. No medicines or
vaccines are currently approved for the treatment of Ebola.
Unlike prophylactic vaccines, which require widespread
vaccinations, multiple doses and time in order to mount a
protective immune response prior to exposure, polyclonal antibody
therapy offers a more targeted approach of providing immediate
immune globulin as a treatment against Ebola virus. Therapeutic
approaches utilizing equine polyclonal antibodies have been used
for the treatment of viral diseases such as rabies, bacterial
toxins such as tetanus and diphtheria, as well as black widow
spider venom.
The planned approach will be to isolate antibodies from the
horses immunized with a DNA vaccine encoding an Ebola virus
glycoprotein antigen. The antibodies will be purified and developed
for the treatment of Ebola virus disease in humans.
Under the agreement, Vical will develop and provide to AnGes a
DNA vaccine encoding the glycoprotein antigen of the 2014 Zaire
strain of Ebola virus, formulated with Vical's proprietary
Vaxfectin® adjuvant. AnGes will receive the right to exclusively
develop and commercialize the equine polyclonal antibody therapy in
Japan and will be responsible for all development costs. Vical will
receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive royalties on
net sales and a percentage of payments received by AnGes under any
sub-licensing agreements.
"We are pleased to have the opportunity to contribute Vical's
resources and capabilities to the global fight against Ebola," said
Larry R. Smith, Ph.D., Vical's Vice President of Vaccine Research.
"Therapeutic interventions may be the best near-term solution for
dealing with the Ebola epidemic. And historical use of polyclonal
antibodies bodes well for this approach."
"We believe that the equine polyclonal antibody therapy can
contribute to the measures against Ebola in Japan," said Ei Yamada,
Ph.D., President and CEO of AnGes. "Thanks to Vical, we will soon
start an initial study in Japan for the purpose of collecting data
and optimizing the production process."
About Ebola
Ebola virus is a member of the Filoviridae family and can cause
severe hemorrhagic fever. According to the Ebola response roadmap
situation report by the World Health Organization as of December
31, 2014, over 20,000 cases of Ebola virus disease have been
reported among 9 countries, with the vast majority occurring in
West African nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. The
mortality rate for this ongoing Ebola epidemic is estimated at
nearly 40%. After one full year since the index case of the current
Ebola outbreak, the number of cases of Ebola virus disease
continues to increase.
About Vical
Vical researches and develops biopharmaceutical products
leveraging its patented DNA delivery technologies for the
prevention and treatment of chronic or life-threatening infectious
diseases. In addition, the company has collaborations with major
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies focused on addressing
significant unmet medical needs. Additional information on Vical is
available at www.vical.com.
About AnGes
AnGes is a Japanese biopharmaceutical company that specializes
in research, development and practical application of genetic
medicines for diseases that are intractable or rare, and have no
treatments available. The company's lead program is a hepatocyte
growth factor (HGF) genetic therapy designed to improve blood
circulation by regenerating blood vessels, currently in Phase 3
clinical testing for the treatment of critical limb ischemia.
Additional information on AnGes MG is available at
www.anges-mg.com/en.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements subject
to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those projected. Forward-looking statements
include statements about Vical's focus, collaborative partners,
product candidates, and development status. Risks and uncertainties
include whether any product candidates will be shown to be safe and
efficacious in clinical trials; the timing of clinical trials;
whether Vical or its collaborative partners will seek or gain
approval to market any product candidates; the dependence of the
company on its collaborative partners; and additional risks set
forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. These forward-looking statements represent the
company's judgment as of the date of this release. The company
disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update these
forward-looking statements.
CONTACT: Andrew Hopkins
(858) 646-1127
ir@vical.com
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