euro adhoc: Intercell AG
Joint Ventures/Cooperation/Collaboration
Intercell
signs license agreement with newly founded Pelias AG
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
09.12.2005
Vienna (Austria), December 9, 2005 - Intercell AG today announced the signing of an exclusive license agreement with Pelias Biomedical Development AG (Pelias) in the field of hospital-acquired infections. The vaccine company Pelias has been founded recently as a new biotech startup by Intercell and partners including Chiron, Parteurop, BioAlliance and Kapital&Wert Group.
The license agreement will give Pelias access to certain antigens, targeting important pathogens in hospital infections, which have been identified by Intercells proprietary Antigen Identification Program (AIP®). Together with the license, certain early stage preclinical development assets in the license field will be transferred from Intercell to Pelias. Intercell will receive an up-front consideration and royalty payments on future product sales. In addition, Intercell holds a major stake of shares in Pelias.
Through this license, together with a clinical stage Pseudomonas vaccine candidate, which was licensed from Chiron, Pelias will be positioned as an emerging specialist in vaccines and antibody-based therapies for the prevention and treatment of hospital-acquired infections. Pelias has received initial funding from Intercell and Kapital&Wert Group and is seeking further venture capital funding.
Werner Lanthaler, Intercells CFO, explains the strategy behind the Pelias deal: "Our Antigen Identification technology provides us with a lot more vaccine targets than we can support in our development pipeline - some of them are partnered with major vaccine companies like Merck&Co., Inc. and sanofi pasteur. The Pelias deal provides us with the same upside in terms of future royalties, but combined with an equity stake in an attractive early stage company, that is ideally positioned to raise external funding from the venture markets. We think this model is an efficient way to leverage the value of our vaccine technologies without increasing our own R&D spend."
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Intercell AG and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Intercell AG to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Intercell AG is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
end of announcement euro adhoc 09.12.2005 08:55:00
Further inquiry note:
Intercell AG
Mag. Katharina Wieser
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel. +43 1 20620-303
kwieser@intercell.com
Branche: Biotechnology
ISIN: AT0000612601
WKN: A0D8HW
Börsen: Wiener Börse AG / official market