FierceBiotech FierceBiotech IT FiercePharma FierceMedicalDevices
FierceBiotech Research FierceVaccines FiercePharma Manufacturing FierceDrugDelivery

Free Newsletter

About | View Sample | Privacy

Glaxo snags Alzheimer's vax rights in €452.5M deal

Tools

GlaxoSmithKline has put down 22.5 million and promised up to 430 million more to license the rights to two early-stage Alzheimer's disease vaccines from Austria's AFFiRiS. Glaxo picks up exclusive rights to two vaccines in Phase I testing and an option on preclinical candidates.

The deal is an endorsement of AFFiRiS' technology. The biotech boasts of being able to design proteins that have very specific binding abilities, a key feature for anyone creating a vaccine that can attack the beta-amyloid associated with Alzheimer's.

The deal is heavily weighted to the back end of the development process, with the biggest payoff coming as researchers have a chance to pour through clinical trial data. Alzheimer's therapies offer a potential source of enormous wealth for drug companies, but have also proved to be extraordinarily risky as scientists try to under stand the causes and potential cures for the disease. For Glaxo, the deal also underscores its intention to get deeper and deeper into the biotech sphere of drug development.

"We are impressed with the AFFiRiS technology--combined with our expertise in innovative adjuvant systems--this collaboration will improve our chance of success in the discovery of new treatments against this major disease," said Jean Stephenne (photo), president and general manager of GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.

- check out the GlaxoSmithKline release

Related Articles:
Witty: Diversifying and derisking GSK
GSK chief elaborates on biotech strategy
GSK outlines plans to become more ‘biotech-like'
Report: GSK to fund venture firm, back start-ups
Big pharma sees big payback for Alzheimer's research


SHARE
WITH:
Email Twitter Facebook LinkedIn StumbleUpon
Get Your FREE FierceVaccines Email Newsletter:
Be the first to comment
More stories about Vaccine   GlaxoSmithKline   Alzheimer's   Jean Stéphenne  

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.