Biological E., Novartis deal

Biological E received development and commercialization rights in the developing world to two Novartis vaccines - a vaccine against typhoid fever and a dual-acting vaccine against typhoid and paratyphoid fevers. The not-for-profit Novartis Vaccines Institute for Global Health (NVGH), which developed the vaccines, will transfer the technology to Biological E, which is then responsible for further development, regulatory approval and commercialization. During the next several months, NVGH will transfer the typhoid vaccine, Vi-CRM197, which has achieved proof of concept (POC) in Phase II testing. The institute will transfer the dual-acting vaccine, which is in preclinical testing, upon achieving POC. The Wellcome Trust (London, U.K.) is supporting development of the dual-acting vaccine through a 2009 Strategic Award.

Novartis said Biological E's rights include countries where the disease is epidemic - India, Nepal, Pakistan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Bhutan - and countries which the Global Alliance for Vaccine Immunization (GAVI) (Geneva, Switzerland) has targeted for typhoid vaccination - Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Pakistan, Cambodia and Bangladesh. ...