Corixa in licence agreements with Aventis

Rights to Corixa's RC-529 adjuvant licenced for multiple Aventis vaccines

Corixa Corporation from Seattle, US, a developer of immunotherapeutics, has signed licence and supply agreements with Aventis for the use of Corixa's RC-529 adjuvant in the development of several potential infectious disease vaccines. The agreements grant Aventis Pasteur, the vaccines business of Aventis, co-exclusive and nonexclusive worldwide rights to Corixa's RC-529 adjuvant for use in multiple disease fields. It includes a provision for Aventis Pasteur to add additional non-exclusive vaccine fields in the fu-ture, subject to their availability and future payments to Corixa by Aventis Pasteur.

Under the terms of the license agreements, Aventis Pasteur will pay Corixa up-front license fees, and success-based milestone and royalty payments. Under the terms of the supply agreement, Aventis Pasteur has committed to placing annual orders for supply of Corixa's RC-529 adjuvant based on clinical trial and commercial forecasts.

'We're excited to have Aventis Pasteur as a new partner for our adjuvant business, particularly as the agreement provides for Aventis Pasteur's use of RC-529 in multiple infectious disease vaccines,' said Dr Steven Gillis, chairman and chief executive officer at Corixa.