Leiden, The Netherlands, and Woburn, MA, 21st September 2016 / Sciad Newswire / Batavia Biosciences received an $8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a low cost manufacturing process to bring an affordable rotavirus vaccine to the global health market. This vaccine aims to save many young children’s lives worldwide.
Rotavirus infection, associated with severe vomiting and diarrhea, is the second largest infectious cause of death in young children. According to the World Health Organization, 215,000 child deaths globally occur due to rotavirus infection. Additionally, 2 million children are hospitalized. Current marketed vaccines often demonstrate reduced efficacy in lower-income settings, have undesirable presentation characteristics and are too expensive for widespread use in developing countries, which means many millions of children remain at risk.
Chris Yallop, CSO of Batavia Biosciences, explains: “to deliver a low cost manufacturing process that is suitable for developing countries, Batavia Biosciences will employ novel technologies such as fixed-bed, high cell density bioreactors. Additionally, the vaccine will be based on the RV3-BB rotavirus strain, a naturally occurring attenuated strain developed by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute that shows promising immunogenicity data in early testing.”
Batavia Biosciences will develop the process in partnership with Bio Farma, a leading vaccine manufacturer who will be responsible for market authorization and commercial manufacture.
Menzo Havenga, CEO of Batavia Biosciences, states: “we are proud to work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bio Farma on bringing a safe, efficacious and affordable rotavirus vaccine to all in need as this vaccine is clearly long overdue.”
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Notes to Editors
About Batavia Biosciences
Batavia Biosciences aims to significantly contribute to ease human suffering from disease by improving the success rate in the translation of candidate medicines from discovery to the clinic. We offer our novel technologies and in depth know how in order to help our partners to complete preclinical phases in biopharmaceutical product development at higher speed, reduced cost and increased success. The company focuses on the early stages of product development including mammalian cell line generation, upstream process development (mammalian & microbial), purification development, product characterization and clinical manufacturing. Headquartered in Leiden, The Netherlands, with a US-based facility in Woburn, Massachusetts, and offices in Hong Kong, Batavia Biosciences is privileged to have strong strategic partners worldwide. For more information on Batavia Biosciences please contact us or visit us at http://www.bataviabiosciences.com/.
About Bio Farma
Supported by competence and experience for more than 125 years of learning, Bio Farma, a state-owned enterprise in Indonesia, manufacturing and distributing vaccines and one of a few WHO pre-qualified vaccine manufacturers, is here as part of the struggle to protect and increase the quality of human life. Playing an important role to establish a healthy nation in which its existence would be maintained for generations to come. With our philosophy of being “Dedicated to improve Quality of Life,” we are ready to devote our efforts to Global Health Security, so through Biotech for a better future provides solutions for global prosperity. Bio Farma focuses on research, development, production, marketing and distribution of biological and pharmaceutical products both nationally and globally. Bio Farma plays an active role in advancing the vaccine research and technology, conducting research on new vaccines in the effort of maintaining a sustainable vaccine supply in the country and also the availability of vaccines to meet the global needs of high quality and affordable vaccines. For more information on Bio Farma please contact us or visit us at www.biofarma.co.id.
