Collaboration agreement
AFFiRiS, a peptide antigen vaccine developer specialised in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease based in the Campus Vienna Biocenter, Austria, has signed a collaboration agreement with GlaxoSmithKline to develop and commercialise Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
GlaxoSmithKline’s biological arm has paid €22.5 million upfront to the Austrian vaccines company for exclusive rights to an Alzheimer’s disease vaccine that aims to neutralise the beta-amyloid protein plaques that are a defining characteristic of the disease.
GSK is acquiring rights to two Alzheimer's disease vaccine candidates based on Affiris’s AFFiTOPE technology, which are currently in Phase I clinical development. AFFiRiS is also granting GSK an exclusive option to other Alzheimer’s disease vaccines which are in preclinical development.
In addition to the upfront payment Affiris be eligible for future milestone payments and royalties of up to €430 million.
At the heart of the deal is the AFFiTOPE technology platform, which allows the design of proteins with very specific binding characteristics as the basis of vaccines against disease-causing rogue human proteins, such as beta-amyloid.
Walter Schmidt, co-founder and CEO of Affiris said, “We are pleased that we could secure GSK Biological, one of the world's leading vaccine companies, in collaborating on the development our Alzheimer's disease vaccine programmers.”
Jean Stéphenne, President and General Manager of GSK Biologicals, said, “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."
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