Eco Animal Health Group PLC Licensing Deals (1310C)
15 October 2020 - 5:00PM
UK Regulatory
TIDMEAH
RNS Number : 1310C
Eco Animal Health Group PLC
15 October 2020
ECO Animal Health Group plc
(AIM: EAH)
ECO Animal Health signs two porcine respiratory and reproductive
syndrome virus ("PRRSV") vaccine development and licencing
deals
ECO Animal Health Ltd ("ECO"), a wholly owned subsidiary of ECO
Animal Health Group plc, is pleased to announce that it has entered
two worldwide exclusive research partnerships to develop novel
vaccines for use in pigs. These two new partnerships with The
Pirbright Institute in the UK and The Vaccine Group ("TVG")
reinforce ECO's commitment to research and development focused on
diseases of economic importance in pigs and poultry.
The first collaboration will, over an 18 month period, utilise
innovative technologies at Pirbright to develop killed PRRSV
vaccine candidates capable of entering a full development programme
and providing immunity against multiple strains of the virus. A
killed PRRSV vaccine would offer an attractive alternative to the
current generation of live vaccines, which are only partially
effective against different strains and suffer from safety
constraints owing to the potential for the live vaccine virus to
revert back to an infectious form.
The second collaboration will test vaccine candidates at
Pirbright created using TVG technology to insert non-infectious
PRRSV genes supplied by Pirbright into a benign herpesvirus, which
then stimulates the immune system when delivered into animals.
Vaccines that use herpesviruses as their base have been shown to
provoke particularly strong reactions from T cells, which are a
vital part of the antiviral response. It is expected that the
initial phase to develop candidate vaccines capable of entering a
full development programme will be up to 18 months.
The two PRRSV species (type-1 and type-2) are responsible for
one of the most economically damaging diseases to the global pig
industry, costing European pig farmers an estimated EUR1.5 billion
a year and those in the US approximately $600 million.
Professor Simon Graham, Group Leader of PRRS Immunology at The
Pirbright Institute, states : "Creating a killed vaccine that can
prevent the spread of multiple strains would provide flexibility in
tackling outbreaks as well as an improved safety profile, both
vital for effective control of the disease. The exciting herpes
virus based vaccine project takes a novel approach to addressing
the urgent requirement for improved vaccines to combat the global
spread of PRRSV."
TVG Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Associate Professor Dr
Michael Jarvis observes : "This is an exciting opportunity that
brings together critical basic science and translational expertise
towards addressing this major infectious disease in pigs."
Commenting Marc Loomes, CEO of ECO Animal Health Group plc,
said: "We are delighted to have partnered with The Pirbright
Institute once again to develop novel vaccines, enabling the
protection of pigs whilst reducing the risks associated with the
use of live vaccines for a disease of global economic importance.
Our collaboration with The Pirbright Institute and TVG leverages
the deep scientific expertise of The Pirbright Institute and TVG's
novel herpesvirus vector technology in an exciting new approach to
PRRSV vaccination".
Contacts:ECO Animal Health Group plc
Marc Loomes (CEO)
Christopher Wilks (CFO) 020 8447 8899
IFC Advisory
Graham Herring
Zach Cohen 020 3934 6630
N+1 Singer (Nominated Adviser & Joint
Broker)
Mark Taylor
Peter Steel
Alex Bond 020 7496 3000
Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker)
James Steel
Dr Christopher Golden 020 7418 8900
The Pirbright Institute
Kimberley Stirk 01483 231120
The Vaccine Group
Andrew Johnson 07464 546 025
About ECO Animal Health Ltd
ECO Animal Health Group plc ("ECO" or "the "GROUP") researches,
develops and commercialises products for livestock. Our business
strategy is to generate shareholder value by achieving the maximum
sales potential from the existing product portfolio whilst
investing in Research and Development ("R&D") for new products,
particularly vaccines, and seeking to in-license new products
About The Pirbright Institute
The Pirbright Institute is a world leading centre of excellence
in research and surveillance of virus diseases of farm animals and
viruses that spread from animals to humans.
Based in the UK and receiving strategic funding from the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) part
of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Institute works to
enhance capability to contain, control and eliminate these
economically and medically important diseases through highly
innovative fundamental and applied bioscience.
About The Vaccine Group
The Vaccine Group, a spin out from the University of Plymouth,
is developing vaccines based on benign forms of herpesviruses.
These are a group of viruses found in all animals, including
humans. The vaccines are created by inserting a non-infectious
region of DNA from the pathogen being targeted into the
herpesvirus. This vaccine then stimulates an immune response when
delivered into animals. The Company and its international partners
have so far been backed by more than GBP9 million in grant funding
from the US, UK, and Chinese governments.
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