Date: 2014-02-24
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: fully human monoclonal antibody against an additional undisclosed infectious disease target using VIVA Screen™ technology
Company: Vivalis (France) Sanofi Pasteur (France)
Therapeutic area: Infectious diseases
Type agreement: licensing
R&D
development
commercialisation
Action mechanism:
Disease: undisclosed infectious disease
Details: * On January 17, 2012, Vivalis has announced the extension of the agreement signed in June 2010 with Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, for the discovery of a fully human monoclonal antibody against an additional undisclosed infectious disease target. Sanofi Pasteur and its affiliates have exclusive access to the Vivalis’ platform for the discovery of human monoclonal antibodies targeting several clinically significant infectious diseases, and will obtain worldwide exclusive development and commercialization rights for the discovered antibodies.
The Vivalis’ platform, called VIVA Screen™, is a potent technology for the discovery of fully human monoclonal antibodies using a combination of two technologies acquired by Vivalis:
- The HUMALEX® technology, a potent technology for the discovery of fully human monoclonal antibodies produced by activated and immortalized B lymphocytes isolated from selected human donors. Humalex® was developed by Humalys SAS, a Lyon-based biotechnology company acquired by Vivalis in January 2010,
- and the ISAAC technology, a high-throughput screening single-cell antibody discovery technology acquired by Vivalis from the company SC World, a Toyama-based company, in April 2011.
This combined technology, VIVA|Screen™, allows the rapid identification and recovery of extremely rare B lymphocyte clones, leading to the generation of biologically relevant, fully human monoclonal antibodies against virtually any antigen targeted by an immune response.
Financial terms: Vivalis which has already reached significant milestones in the framework of its agreement with Sanofi Pasteur may receive, for this new target, development milestone payments up to €35 million Euros, as well as royalty payments associated with product sales. In addition, Sanofi Pasteur will continue to finance collaborative research activities.
Latest news: * On February 24, 2014, Valneva has announced the initiation of a fourth monoclonal antibody discovery program for Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi on its proprietary single-cell screening platform VivaScreen®. The initiation of this fourth antibody program is part of the agreement signed with Sanofi Pasteur in June 2010, granting Sanofi Pasteur and its affiliates exclusive access to Valneva’s VivaScreen® technology for the discovery of several human monoclonal antibodies targeting significant infectious diseases. Sanofi Pasteur will obtain worldwide exclusive development and commercialization rights for the discovered antibodies while Valneva may receive development milestone payments up to € 35 million per infectious disease, as well as royalty payments associated with product sales. In addition, Sanofi Pasteur finances collaborative research activities.
