Vivalis takes €3M upfront in infectious diseases pact with Sanofi-Pasteur

Vivalis has signed a collaboration agreement with Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis, for the discovery and development of fully human monoclonal antibodies against several infectious diseases.

The deal gives Sanofi Pasteur exclusive access to the Humalex antibody discovery technology, which Vivalis acquired when it took over fellow biotech Humalsys in January.

The Humalex platform can be used to isolate monoclonal antibodies produced by activated and immortalised B lymphocytes isolated from human donors.

In addition to the upfront payment of €3 million Vivalis will receive development milestone payments of up to €35 million per infectious disease and royalties on sales of any resulting products. Sanofi Pasteur will also finance the collaborative research activities.

“Passive immunisation can be a powerful treatment option against infectious diseases in sometimes life threatening situations. Vivalis’ Humalex technology allows rapid identification of clinically relevant fully-human antibodies, as well as their [associated] antigen. This opens up new medical solutions to prevent or treat serious infections,” said Michel de Wilde, senior vice-president research and development at Sanofi Pasteur.

“We are very excited about this collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur only a few months after the acquisition of Humalys. This is the first major commercial agreement on the Humalex platform,” said Franck Grimaud, CEO of Vivalis.

He added, “It also represents a strong validation of the technology developed by Humalys. In addition, this agreement also validates the relevancy of our strategy of moving up in the value chain. Vivalis is today one of a very few companies able to [provide] a fully-integrated offering, from the discovery of fully human monoclonal antibodies to the production of clinical batches.”