Corixa and Lorantis in joint Hep B collaboration

Corixa, a developer of immunotherapeutics, and Lorantis, a Cambridge, UK-based immunotherapy company, have formed a joint collaboration in which the companies will continue the development of a therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine, containing Corixa's RC-529 adjuvant and Lorantis' CV-1831, a hepatitis B core antigen that was previously owned by Apovia.

This collaboration builds on the initial r&d conducted by Corixa and Apovia for the development of a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of hepatitis B. Lorantis has acquired all of Apovia's interest in the hepatitis B vaccine technology and under the terms of the new agreement, Lorantis will assume many of Apovia's development responsibilities. The collaboration is managed by a joint management team where Corixa will take the lead for the regulatory applications and management of all clinical trials. Lorantis will lead the completion of preclinical studies and supply the hepatitis B core antigen. The companies will share equally in all costs and potential revenues associated with the development of the vaccine. Following proof-of-principle clinical trials, the companies intend to partner the vaccine to a late-stage development and commercialisation organisation.

'We are pleased to partner with Lorantis to build on the progress we have made under our original agreement with Apovia,' said Dr Steven Gillis, chairman and chief executive officer of Corixa. 'Our collaboration with Lorantis will allow us to pursue clinical development of a therapeutic hepatitis vaccine powered by our RC-529 adjuvant.'

'This partnership with Corixa should ensure that CV-1831 will be competitively developed,' said Stefan Fischer, chief executive officer of Lorantis. 'Our investment in this therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine is the first step to transform Lorantis from a research driven company into a development focused company as we build our immunology portfolio.'

About Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus that attacks the liver. The virus is transmitted through blood and infected bodily fluids. This can occur through direct blood-to-blood contact, unprotected sex, use of dirty needles, and from an infected woman to her newborn during the delivery process. According to the hepatitis B Foundation, hepatitis B can be 100 times more infectious than the AIDS virus. More information is available at the link below.