Date: 2014-01-21
Type of information: Production agreement
Compound: AVX-470
Company: Avaxia Biologics (USA - MA) Delphi Genetics (Belgium)
Therapeutic area: Autoimmune diseases - Inflammatory diseases - Digestive diseases
Type agreement: development production manufacturing
Action mechanism: monoclonal antibody. AVX-470, is an oral anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antibody for inflammatory bowel disease including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Avaxia produces AVX- 470 from the early milk of dairy cows that have been immunized with human TNF. AVX-470 is in clinical development for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.
Disease: ulcerative colitis
Details: * On January 21, 2014, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) and Avaxia Biologics announced that Avaxia has been awarded one of the first grants through MLSC’s new Universal Partnerships (UP) Program. The grant will support an international research collaboration between Avaxia and Delphi Genetics SA of the Wallonia region of Belgium. Under the collaboration, Avaxia and Delphi will develop an improved manufacturing process for Avaxia’s lead product candidate, AVX-470, which is in clinical development for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. The goal of this grant is to develop an improved immunization process to increase the amountof AVX-470 that each cow produces. Delphi Genetics brings proprietary technology and expertise in novel DNA vaccine immunization approaches and other immunization technologies that have successfully generated strong antibody responses in animals. This past June, at the 2014 BIO International Convention, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) announced the launch of the UP Program, a new and innovative model for partnerships that provides grant funding to support Massachusetts companies that are forming R&D collaborations with life science organizations throughout the world. The creation of the UP Program furthers the MLSC’s efforts to create global partnerships between life sciences organizations to enable scientific and commercial breakthroughs and to fuel economic development in the Commonwealth. The UP program enhances the MLSC’s international program portfolio by offering Massachusetts more collaborative opportunities.
Avaxia was one of the early recipients of funding through the MLSC’s Accelerator Loan Program when that program was launched in 2009. In January 2013, the company repaid its $375,000 loan early after raising $6.4 million in its Series B financing round. Including interest on the loan, the company’s repayment totaled $459,362. Avaxia has also received support through the MLSC’s Internship Challenge Program.
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