iBio, Inc. and the Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (CMB) announced an agreement which provides a license of iBio’s proprietary technology to CMB for the development and manufacture of Global Health Vaccines for, and financed by, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
As recently announced, a principal focus of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is to provide access to vaccines for the neediest people in the developing countries in the world (Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunization (GAVI) Eligible Countries), representing vast numbers of people currently unable to afford preventive and therapeutic medical care (Global Access Objectives). Global Health Vaccines, subject to this agreement, are vaccines for human or veterinary use for the prevention of malaria, tuberculosis, rotavirus, trypanosomiasis, hookworm and rabies.
Under the terms of the Agreement, CMB will use iBio’s technology under a non-exclusive, non-royalty bearing grant to develop and test new Global Health Vaccines funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Agreement establishes iBio as the preferred manufacturer of Global Health Vaccines and provides a right of first refusal to iBio to provide technology transfer and vaccine manufacturing services to achieve Global Access Objectives on a commercially reasonable, competitive and sustainable cost basis. In accordance with prior agreements, iBio will own commercial rights to new technology and improvements arising during the course of the programs. Additional terms of the Agreement provide for mutual cooperation with respect to the sharing of clinical data and regulatory filings related to the program.
“The attributes of our technology – including rapid response to pandemic disease threats, surge capacity, and scalable manufacturing facilities with much lower capital and operating costs – should enable the Foundation to achieve its objective to provide vaccines to vast populations that have been neglected until now,” said Robert Kay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iBio. “In this symbiotic relationship, as we help the Foundation achieve its Foundation-funded Global Access Objectives, iBio is helped to optimize and broaden its technology platform for commercial purposes and expand its commercial manufacturing and tech transfer programs.”
“This agreement is an important step in advancing this powerful technology to serve people often bypassed by important medical advances and new technologies,” said Major General (ret.) Philip K. Russell, M.D., advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and member of the iBio Board of Directors. “Our experience with this technology in challenging vaccine applications gives us great optimism about practical utility.”
“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and iBio, along with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), are key stakeholders in the success of our technology development. Their support was critical for establishing this technology and demonstrating its potential for development of vaccines against viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases,” said Dr. Vidadi Yusibov, Executive Director of CMB and Chief Scientific Officer of iBio. “I am confident this cooperation will provide great benefit for all parties.”
Date: June 3, 2010
Source: iBio, Inc.
