TIDMGSK
RNS Number : 4165T
GlaxoSmithKline PLC
20 July 2020
Issued: 20(th) July 2020, London UK; Tübingen, Germany/ Boston,
MA, USA - LSE announcement
GSK and CureVac announce strategic mRNA technology
collaboration
-- Companies to collaborate on mRNA vaccine and monoclonal
antibody research programmes in infectious diseases
-- GSK to make equity investment of GBP130m (EUR150m) in
CureVac, and an upfront payment of GBP104m (EUR120m)
GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) and CureVac today announced
the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement for the
research, development , manufacturing and commercialisation of up
to five mRNA-based vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)
targeting infectious disease pathogens. The collaboration
complements GSK's
existing mRNA capabilities with CureVac's integrated mRNA platform.
mRNA (messenger RNA) technology is a rapidl y progressing,
cutting-edge platform for the development of new vaccines and
medicines, potentially expanding the range of diseases which can be
prevented or treated, while also promising to significantly speed
up development and manufacturing. mRNA enables protein synthesis in
the human body, carrying the genetic code required for cells to
manufacture and express proteins. By using mRNA technology in
vaccines and medicines, specific proteins, or antigens, can be
produced by the body's own cells, enabling the human immune system
to prevent or fight disease.
CureVac's leadership in mRNA technology, along with its mRNA
manufacturing capability, complements GSKs existing scientific
leadership in vaccines, including GSKs own self-amplifying mRNA
(SAM) vaccine technology platform, and further builds on GSKs
growing capability in mAbs innovation, aligned to its R&D focus
on the science of immunology. Advancing mRNA-based vaccine and
treatment technologies is also expected to play a role in further
improving response against future pandemics.
Roger Connor, President GSK Vaccines, said: "GSK's
self-amplifying mRNA (SAM) vaccine technology has shown us the
potential of mRNA technology to advance the science of vaccine
development, and CureVac's experience complements our own
expertise. Through the application of mRNA technology, including
SAM, we hope to be able to develop and scale up advanced vaccines
and therapies to treat and prevent infectious diseases quicker than
ever before."
Dr. Franz-Werner Haas, acting Chief Executive Officer of
CureVac, added: "We are delighted to partner with GSK. With this
collaboration, we are gaining a world-class partner whose expertise
and global footprint will allow us to further develop and translate
the value of our platform into potential products for the
world."
The companies will combine their mRNA expertise on development
opportunities across a range of infectious disease pathogens,
selected with the potential to best leverage the advantages of this
platform technology, while addressing significant unmet medical
need and economic burden. CureVac's existing COVID-19 mRNA and
rabies vaccines research programmes are not included in the
collaboration announced today.
Under the terms of the deal, GSK will make an equity investment
in CureVac of GBP130m (EUR150m), representing close to a 10% stake,
an upfront cash payment of GBP104m (EUR120m) and a one-time
reimbursable payment of GBP26m (EUR30m) for manufacturing capacity
reservation, upon certification of CureVac's commercial scale
manufacturing facility currently under construction in Germany.
CureVac will be eligible to receive development and regulatory
milestone payments of up to GBP277m (EUR320m), commercial milestone
payments of up to GBP329m (EUR380m) and tiered royalties on product
sales.
GSK will fund R&D activities at CureVac related to the
development projects covered by the collaboration. CureVac will be
responsible for the preclinical- and clinical-development through
Phase 1 trials of these projects, after which GSK will be
responsible for further development and commercialization. CureVac
will be responsible for the GMP manufacturing of the product
candidates, including for commercialization, and will retain
commercialization rights for selected countries for all product
candidates.
About GSK
GSK is a science-led global healthcare company with a special
purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. For
further information please visit www.gsk.com/about-us .
About CureVac's mRNA technology platform
CureVac's mRNA technology platform has shown potential in the
development and production of mRNA based vaccines and therapeutics.
CureVac's RNAoptimizer platform aims to optimize the properties of
mRNA medicines based on its three core pillars: protein design,
mRNA optimization and mRNA delivery. The technology can be tailored
to induce varying degrees of immune responses against specific
protein antigens of choice, potentially providing potent
prophylactic vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases,
such as Rabies, as well as immunotherapies for the treatment of
cancer. The technology can also be adapted to avoid immune
activation for purposes of protein therapy and antibodies, thereby
providing potential new therapeutic modalities for patients
suffering from a vast range of diseases.
About CureVac
CureVac is a leading clinical stage biotechnology company in the
field of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology with 20 years of expertise
in developing and optimizing this versatile molecule for medical
purposes. The principle of CureVac's proprietary technology is the
use of mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce
its own proteins capable of fighting a wide range of diseases. The
company applies its technologies for the development of cancer
therapies, antibody therapies, the treatment of rare diseases, and
prophylactic vaccines. CureVac has received significant
investments, amongst others from dievini Hopp BioTech holding and
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In June 2020, the German
Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy announced its commitment
to invest 300 million Euros in CureVac through the Kreditanstalt
für Wiederaufbau (KfW). CureVac has also entered into
collaborations with multinational corporations and organizations,
including Boehringer Ingelheim, Genmab, CRISPR Therapeutics, the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEPI and others. CureVac is
headquartered in Tübingen, Germany with sites in Frankfurt and
Boston, USA.
For more information, please visit www.curevac.com/ or follow
CureVac on Twitter at @CureVacAG .
GSK enquiries:
UK Media enquiries: Simon Steel +44 (0) 20 8047 (London)
5502
Tim Foley +44 (0) 20 8047 (London)
5502
Simon Moore +44 (0) 20 8047 (London)
5502
US Media enquiries: Kristen Neese +1 804 217 8147 (Philadelphia)
Kathleen Quinn +1 202 603 5003 (Washington
DC)
Analyst/Investor Sarah Elton-Farr +44 (0) 20 8047 (London)
enquiries: 5194
Danielle Smith +44 (0) 20 8047 (London)
0932
James Dodwell +44 (0) 20 8047 (London)
2406
Jeff McLaughlin +1 215 751 7002 (Philadelphia)
Frannie DeFranco +1 215 751 4855 (Philadelphia)
CureVac enquiries:
Media enquiries:
Thorsten Schüller,
Corporate Communications
CureVac AG, Tübingen,
Germany
T: +49 7071 9883-1577
thorsten.schueller@curevac.com
Investor enquiries:
Dr. Sarah Fakih, Vice
President Investor
Relations
CureVac AG, Tübingen,
Germany
T: +49 7071 9883-1298
sarah.fakih@curevac.com
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or
projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement,
are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors
include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D
"Risk Factors" in the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2019
and any impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Registered Office:
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Brentford, Middlesex
TW8 9GS
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END
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