QUEBEC CITY, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Medicago Inc. (TSX: MDG), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles, announced today that Chief Executive Officer Andy Sheldon was named “CEO of the Year” at the recently held World Vaccine Congress in Washington, D.C. The Vaccine Industry Excellence (ViE) Awards recognize the outstanding achievements of vaccine practitioners and stakeholders across the global industry.
“I am honored to be selected as CEO of the Year, and sincerely thank both the ViE judging panel and all who voted to support my nomination for this award,” said Andy Sheldon, President and CEO of Medicago. “Being chosen as the CEO of the Year is also an acknowledgement of the Medicago team, and I share this award with all employees in recognition of their dedication and industry-leading vision. 2011 was an important year for Medicago, and I look forward to continuing to lead the Company to advance our pipeline of plant-based product candidates to further demonstrate our ability to rapidly develop highly effective and cost effective vaccines.”
Medicago’s pipeline includes the initiation of a U.S. Phase IIa clinical trial for a quadrivalent seasonal vaccine with interim data expected in the first quarter of 2013. A Phase I clinical trial for a one-dose H5N1 VLP vaccine with a new adjuvant is planned for the second quarter of 2012, in partnership with the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), with interim data expected in the second half of this year. In addition to vaccines, Medicago is conducting research and development in the area of biosimilar products.
About World Vaccine Congress and the Vaccine Industry Excellence Awards
The World Vaccine Congress remains the industry’s definitive vaccine industry event for major vaccine players. Officially the longest-running and largest vaccine industry event in North America, the World Vaccine Congress delivers a forum where the ever-changing dynamics of the vaccine industry are discussed and acted upon by the industry’s most senior figures. The ViE Awards were created to honor and generate recognition of the efforts, accomplishments, and positive contributions of companies and individuals in the vaccine industry over the previous 12 months.
About Medicago
Medicago is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel vaccines and therapeutic proteins to address a broad range of infectious diseases worldwide. The Company is committed to providing highly effective and competitive vaccines and therapeutic proteins based on its proprietary VLP and manufacturing technologies. Medicago is a worldwide leader in the development of VLP vaccines using a transient expression system which produces recombinant vaccine antigens in plants. This technology has potential to offer more potent vaccines with speed and cost advantages over competitive technologies, enabling the development of a vaccine for testing in approximately one month after the identification and reception of genetic sequences from a pandemic strain. This production time frame has the potential to allow vaccination of the population before the first wave of a pandemic, and supply large volumes of vaccine antigens to the world market. Medicago also intends to expand development into other areas such as biosimilars and biodefense products where the benefits of our technologies can make a significant difference. Additional information about Medicago is available at www.medicago.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release includes certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, which involve risks and uncertainties associated with Medicago’s business and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, and similar expressions to the extent they relate to Medicago or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect Medicago’s current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the matters discussed under “Risk Factors and Uncertainties” in Medicago’s Annual Information Form filed on March 29, 2012 with the regulatory authorities. Medicago assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Medicago Inc.