SSI licenses fusion proteins to Sanofi Pasteur for development of TB vaccs

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of French drug major Sanofi-Aventis, has signed a collaborative research and license agreement with the Statens Serum Institut of Denmark for the development and marketing of a new vaccine against tuberculosis, a disease that causes the deaths of two million people, worldwide, each year. Under the terms of the deal, SSI has granted the firm a license to its technology with regard to the use of certain fusion proteins in the development of a TB vaccine, which includes access to the Intercell IC31 adjuvant. If the development is successful, Sanofi will manufacture the recombinant protein sub-unit-based vaccine for sale. One candidate is already in Phase I testing. Results from a previous study showed that the SSI technology provided a positive immune response.