Oxford Biomedica Regulatory News (OXB)

2 Jul 2007 07:00

Oxford Biomedica PLC02 July 2007 For Immediate Release 2 JULY 2007 OXFORD BIOMEDICA AND SIGMA-ALDRICH ISSUE JOINT LICENCE FOR LENTIVECTOR(R) TECHNOLOGY TO MAJOR BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANY Oxford, UK: 2 July 2007: Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), a leading gene therapycompany, and Sigma-Aldrich, a leading life science and high technology company,today announced that they have signed a joint licence agreement for theLentiVector technology with a major US-based biotechnology company, whichprovides the company with access to the technology for global researchactivities. Sigma-Aldrich is Oxford BioMedica's strategic partner and exclusivelicensee in the commercialisation of the LentiVector technology for researchuse. Financial details were not disclosed. Oxford BioMedica's lentivirus-based gene delivery technology, known asLentiVector, is one of the most powerful technologies for the delivery of genesto a wide range of cell and tissue types. The LentiVector technology hasapplications both in therapeutic products and as a drug discovery tool fortarget validation and the creation of targeted disease models. Oxford BioMedicahas a comprehensive portfolio of US and European patents and applications thatcover the technology. Sigma-Aldrich and Oxford BioMedica have an activelicensing programme providing access to the LentiVector technology on anon-exclusive basis for research activities. Licensees include Biogen Idec,GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co and Pfizer. Commenting on the news, Oxford BioMedica's Senior Vice President CommercialDevelopment, Peter Nolan, said: "We are delighted to have secured anotherlicensee for the LentiVector gene delivery technology, which has become theindustry gold standard for various applications in research and drug discovery.With our strategic partner, Sigma-Aldrich, we believe that the technology hassignificant commercial potential as a research tool, which is in addition to itsapplication in gene-based therapies." -Ends- For further information, please contact:Oxford BioMedica plc: Tel: +44 (0)1865 783 000 Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief ExecutiveCity/Financial Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000 Lisa Baderoon/ Mark Court/ Mary-Jane Johnson BuchananCommunicationsScientific/Trade Press Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)20 7268 3002 Gemma Price/ Holly Griffiths/ Katja StoutNorthbank Communications Notes to editors 1. Oxford BioMedica Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB) is a biopharmaceutical company specialising in thedevelopment and commercialisation of novel therapeutic vaccines and gene-basedtherapies with a focus on oncology and neurotherapy. The Company was establishedin 1995 as a spin-out from Oxford University, and is listed on the London StockExchange. The Company has a platform of gene delivery technologies, which are based onhighly engineered viral systems. Oxford BioMedica also has in-house clinical,regulatory and manufacturing know-how. In oncology, the lead product candidateis TroVax(R), an immunotherapy for multiple solid cancers, which is licensed tosanofi-aventis for global development and commercialisation. A Phase III trialof TroVax in renal cancer is ongoing and sanofi-aventis is implementing adevelopment plan for colorectal cancer. Oxford BioMedica's oncology pipelineincludes a specific immunotherapy candidate, Hi-8(R) MEL, for melanoma, whichhas completed two clinical trials. In neurotherapy, the Company's lead product,ProSavin(R), is expected to enter clinical development for Parkinson's diseasein 2007. The neurotherapy pipeline also includes preclinical gene-basedtherapeutics for vision loss, motor neuron disease and nerve repair. The Company is underpinned by over 80 patent families, which represent one ofthe broadest patent estates in the field. The Company has a staff ofapproximately 75 split between its main facilities in Oxford and its whollyowned subsidiary, BioMedica Inc, in San Diego, California. Corporate partnersinclude sanofi-aventis for TroVax and Wyeth for a targeted antibody therapy. TheCompany also has collaborations with Intervet, Sigma-Aldrich, MolMed andVirxsys. Technology licensees include Merck & Co, Biogen Idec, GlaxoSmithKlineand Pfizer. Further information is available at www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk 2. LentiVector(R) technology Oxford BioMedica's proprietary LentiVector technology represents one of the mostadvanced gene delivery systems currently available. Licensed users includeBiogen Idec, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co and Pfizer. Oxford BioMedica also has astrategic alliance with Sigma-Aldrich to develop and commercialiseLentiVector-based reagents for the research market. As a platform for genetherapy, it has broad utility for the treatment of chronic disorders such asneurodegenerative and ocular diseases. Based on lentiviruses, LentiVector offers permanent gene transfer to a broadrange of dividing and non-dividing cells, including neurons and retinal cells,in a stable and efficient fashion. The LentiVector technology is designed to besafe and non-toxic, as no viral genes are taken into the target cell. The Company has shown in preclinical studies that gene expression using theLentiVector technology is maintained for more than 18 months. To date, OxfordBioMedica has not identified a situation where expression has ceased during thecourse of an experiment. Oxford BioMedica has established a broad pipeline ofneurotherapy product candidates based on its LentiVector technology. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange