NEW YORK, June 5 (GenomeWeb News) - Sanofi Pasteur has obtained exclusive rights to Emergent's proteins and related technology to be used for the development of a vaccine to protect against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B, or meningitis B bacterial infections.
Sanofi Pasteur, which is the vaccine business of the Sanofi-Aventis group, paid Emergent €3 million ($3.9 million) as an up-front license fee. It will also pay Emergent for all development services provided in advancing a vaccine through Phase I clinical trials, including retrospective payment for work performed from Jan. 1 until the date of the agreement, and it will pay developmental milestones and royalties on eventual product sales.
Sanofi and Emergent will jointly evaluate and develop a pool of Emergent's antigens as the basis of a multivalent subunit vaccine against Neisseria meningitides infection. Emergent identified the protein candidates using its Signature-Tagged Mutagenesis functional genomics technology, in combination with functional proteomics techniques.
Under terms of the agreement, Emergent will have primary responsibility for development activities through Phase I clinical trials. Sanofi will have primary responsibility for development activities from initiation of Phase II studies through regulatory approval. It will also be responsible for all commercialization activities including worldwide sales and marketing.