NANTES, FRANCE--(Marketwire - June 30, 2009) -
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2009 COMMERCIAL TARGETS RAISED: 10 NEW LICENSE AGREEMENTS
Nantes (France) - 30 June 2009 - VIVALIS (NYSE Euronext: VLS) announced today the signature of a new research agreement with a company whose name remains undisclosed for the production of monoclonal antibodies on its EB66® cell line platform.
2009 commercial targets exceeded
Since January 1, 2009, VIVALIS has signed seven new commercial licenses, already outperforming the full-year commercial target announced January 13 of this year.
License agreements signed since the start of the year have included:
- 3 commercial licenses with Innate Pharma (the first commercial license in the field of therapeutic antibodies), OETC (a joint venture between Emergent Biosciences (USA) and the University of Oxford), and Fort Dodge (a subsidiary of the US company Wyeth);
- 4 research licenses with Boerhringer Ingelheim Animal Health (Germany), Novavax (USA), Merial (a joint venture between Sanofi Aventis and the US company Merck) and a confidential partnership in the field of monoclonal antibodies.
Promising trends for the healthcare sector and scientific development
VIVALIS has signed to date 27 license agreements including 15 commercial licenses for its EB66® technology throughout the world with leading pharmaceutical groups. With increasing risks of pandemics and with responsiveness and safety in vaccine production becoming a key industry priority, VIVALIS' cell line EB66® is positioned to become the new benchmark for production in the years ahead.
New targets for 2009
In light of this commercial success and with initial annual targets already met by midyear, VIVALIS has raised in consequence its full-year target for 2009 to 10 new licenses.
"We are particularly pleased that we have been able to raise our commercial targets midway in the period in progress. With our portfolio of 27 licenses, representing more than 60 products tested or under development (for vaccines or antibodies), the critical size achieved for the EB66® technology is starting to produce results. Investments by worldwide manufacturing leaders (such as GSK, Sanofi Pasteur, Merial or Intervet Schering Plough) in this technology contribute in turn to attracting interest by new companies. The resulting critical mass achieved for our platform will enable us to accelerate its process for regulatory and industrial validation," declared Franck Grimaud, VIVALIS CEO.
About the EB66®cell line.
EB66® cell line, derived from duck embryonic stem cells, presents unique industrial and regulatory characteristics such as long-term genetic stability, immortality and cell growth to high cell densities in suspension in a serum-free medium (>20 millions cells/mL).
The BMF (Biologics Master File) for the registration of the EB66® cell line with the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) was filed on June 27, 2008.
The EB66® cell line is currently used or being tested by 75% of the major players in vaccines. VIVALIS has furthermore demonstrated that the EB66® cell line can be easily genetically modified, permitting the expression of recombinant proteins of potential interest. Moreover the glycosylation profile of monoclonal antibodies produced through EB66® cell lines is similar to the glycosylation profiles of human monoclonal antibodies with the added benefit of being distinguished by reduced fucose content. This latter characteristic is known to be associated with a higher level of antibody cytotoxic activity, particularly useful in the treatment of cancer cells.
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Next financial press release:
July 22, after NYSE Euronext market closing: 2009 first-half sales
A propos de VIVALIS (www.vivalis.com)
VIVALIS (NYSE- Euronext: VLS) VIVALIS (NYSE- Euronext: VLS) is a biopharmaceutical company that provides innovative cell-based solutions to the pharmaceutical industry for the manufacture of vaccines and proteins, and develops drugs for the prevention and treatment of viral diseases. VIVALIS' expertise and intellectual property are exploited in three main areas:
1. The development and manufacturing of vaccines. VIVALIS offers research and commercial licenses for its EB66® cell line, derived from duck stem cells, to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for the production of vaccines. Vivalis receives upfront fees, milestone payments and royalties on its licensees' net sales.
2. The development of production systems for recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies. VIVALIS licenses its EB66® cell line for the production of recombinant proteins to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Vivalis receives upfront fees, milestone payments and royalties on its licensees' net sales.
3. The construction of a portfolio of proprietary products in the area of vaccines and anti-viral molecules (hepatitis C).
Based in Nantes (France), VIVALIS was founded in 1999 by the Grimaud group (1,450 employees), the second largest group worldwide in animal genetic selection. VIVALIS has established more than 30 partnerships and licenses with world leaders in this sector, including Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis Vaccines, Merck, CSL Kaketsuken, Merial, Intervet, SAFC Biosciences. VIVALIS is a member of the French ATLANTIC BIOTHERAPIES bio-cluster.
+-------------------------+-+ |VIVALIS | | +-------------------------+-+ |Listed on Euronext Paris | | |- Compartment C of NYSE | | |Euronext t | | +-------------------------+-+ |Reuters: VLS.PA - | | |Bloomberg: VLS FP | | +-------------------------+-+ |Included in NYSE | | |Euronext's Next Biotech | | |index | | +-------------------------+-+ +-------------------------+-+
Investors Relations
VIVALIS
Franck Grimaud, CEO
Email: investors@vivalis.com
NewCap
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Steve Grobet / Emmanuel Huynh
Tel.: +33 (0) 1 44 71 94 91
Email:vivalis@newcap.fr
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