Oxford Biomedica Regulatory News (OXB)

5 Jan 2005 07:00

Oxford Biomedica PLC05 January 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5 JANUARY 2005 OXFORD BIOMEDICA SIGNS LENTIVECTOR(R) LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH BIOGEN IDEC Oxford, UK: 5 January 2005 - Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), the leading genetherapy company, announced today that it has entered into an agreement tolicense its LentiVector technology to Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) for use inresearch activities. Under the terms of the agreement, Oxford BioMedica willreceive an upfront licence payment and an annual maintenance fee. Furtherfinancial details were not disclosed. LentiVector, a lentivirus-based system, is one of the most powerful technologiesavailable for gene delivery to a wide range of cell and tissue types. Thetechnology has applications both in therapeutic products and drug discovery, asa tool for target validation and the creation of targeted disease models. Ithas also been shown to enhance the efficiency of developing transgenic birds andmammals. Oxford BioMedica has a comprehensive portfolio of US and Europeanpatents covering the LentiVector technology. Oxford BioMedica's Senior Vice President Commercial Development, Peter Nolan,said: "We are delighted to add Biogen Idec to our list of licencees for theLentiVector technology. This agreement is a further demonstration of thetechnology's superiority and broad utility. We expect Oxford BioMedica'sLentiVector technology to become the system of choice for safe and effectivegene delivery in drug discovery and transgenics." For further information, please contact: Oxford BioMedica plc: Tel: +44 (0)1865 783 000Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive Peter Nolan, SVP Commercial Development City/Financial Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000Lisa Baderoon/ Mark Court/ Mary-Jane Johnson BuchananCommunications Scientific/Trade Press Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)20 7886 8150Sue Charles/ Katja Stout/ Ashley Lilly Northbank Communications Notes to editors 1. Oxford BioMedica Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB) is a biopharmaceutical company specialising in thedevelopment of novel gene-based therapeutics with a focus on the areas ofoncology and neurotherapy. The Company was established in 1995 as a spin outfrom Oxford University, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. In addition to its technical expertise in gene delivery, Oxford BioMedica hasin-house clinical, regulatory and manufacturing know-how. The developmentpipeline includes two novel anti-cancer products in clinical trials; twoneurotherapy products in advanced preclinical development for Parkinson'sdisease and retinopathy; and three further preclinical neurotherapy products.The Company is underpinned by an extensive preclinical and research portfolioand over 80 patent families, which represents one of the broadest patent estatesin the field. The Company has established a neurotherapy pipeline of product candidates basedon its LentiVector technology, which includes ProSavin(R) for Parkinson'sdisease, RetinoStat(R) for retinopathy, MoNuDin(R) for motor neuron disease,SMN1-G for spinal muscular atrophy and Innurex(R) for nerve repair. Currentlicencees of the LentiVector technology for drug discovery and transgenicapplications include Merck & Co and Viragen. Further information is available at http://www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk 2. LentiVector technology Oxford BioMedica's LentiVector gene delivery technology, based on lentiviralvectors, is arguably the most potent system currently available for treating arange of diseases, particularly those of the central nervous system. OxfordBioMedica has shown that its lentiviral vectors are able to deliver genes withhigh efficiency to a variety of both dividing and non-dividing cells, includingneurons in the brain. Oxford BioMedica has three issued US patents and a European patent for itsLentiVector technology. These include broad composition of matter claims andmethods of production claims for lentiviral vector gene delivery systems of bothhuman and non-human origin. The patents also cover derivatives of lentiviralvector systems that, unlike many versions of lentiviral vectors, have realclinical utility because of their safety. The Oxford BioMedica team was thefirst to construct lentiviral vectors that contain no viral genes at all, andwhich comprise the minimum number of viral components in the viral particles. Itis this minimisation of the vectors that is the subject of these patents. Thiswork was done using vectors based on HIV and Equine Infectious Anaemia Virus(EIAV), a horse virus that is not linked to any disease in humans. 3. Biogen Idec Biogen Idec creates new standards of care in oncology and immunology. As aglobal leader in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of noveltherapies, Biogen Idec transforms scientific discoveries into advances in humanhealthcare. For product labeling, press releases and additional informationabout the company, please visit http://www.biogenidec.com/ This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange