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| |  BioChem, Biovector to develop novel nasally delivered vaccines LAVAL, Quebec -- May 12, 1997 -- BioChem Pharma Inc., announced today that its vaccines subsidiary, IAF BioVac Inc., has concluded a strategic agreement with Biovector Therapeutics SA, a privately owned French company specializing in drug and vaccine delivery technologies. The alliance is aimed at developing novel human vaccines for nasal administration thus combining BioVac’s expertise in vaccines with Biovector’s innovative supra molecular biovector technology currently in development. Under this agreement, IAF BioVac and Biovector will develop nasal vaccines for prophylactic use in at least three areas: influenza, meningococcal meningitis and pneumococcal infections. The two companies will give priority to the development of their first collaborative nasally delivered vaccine based on BioVac’s currently manufactured "classical" inactivated split influenza vaccine, Fluviral(R)S/F. An IND application for this novel, nasally delivered flu vaccine is planned to be filed by IAF BioVac next year. This will bring IAF BioVac one step closer to using this technology with its cell-cultured flu vaccine candidate which recently successfully completed Phase I testing. "The development of a flu vaccine for nasal administration would represent a significant improvement over the currently-available injectable vaccine," said Dr. Claude Vezeau, President of IAF BioVac. “There is a need for a non-invasive and easy-to-use method of vaccination." "The constraints associated with injectable influenza vaccines generally limit their use to people most at risk, such as the elderly. This new nasal vaccine could provide broader access to the flu vaccine, particularly for children who are now recognized as an important group for the transmission of influenza, as well as for adults of any age," Dr. Vezeau explained. In exchange for the right to use Biovector’s vaccine delivery technology and rights to commercialize the vaccines incorporating this technology, IAF BioVac has taken a minority equity interest in Biovector and will assure product development and registration costs for the vaccines involved, and pay Biovector a royalty on sales. The nasal vaccines will be manufactured by IAF BioVac, with Biovector supplying the supra molecular biovectors. Biovector’s delivery technology is based on the use of supra molecular biovectors to deliver the vaccine into the human body. The main properties of biovectors are that they protect the antigen from rapid degradation, enhance its activity, and adhere to mucous membranes, including nasal surfaces. Structurally, a biovector consists of a polysaccharide core that can be charged positively or negatively and that is surrounded by a phospholipid layer. "We are very pleased with IAF BioVac’s decision to use our delivery technology for the development of novel nasal vaccines based on BioVac antigens," said Dr. Imile Loria, President and CEO of Biovector Therapeutics. "We are confident that the combination of our respective technologies will set a new standard in the industry for modern vaccines." Biovector Therapeutics SA is a private company based in Toulouse, France. It develops and produces drug and vaccine delivery systems that improve the efficacy and patient acceptance of vaccines and therapeutic agents. IAF BioVac manufactures and markets classical vaccines, including vaccines to prevent influenza, diphtheria, tetanus and tuberculosis. The company is also a world- class leader in the development of recombinant-protein and cell-culture-based vaccines. Its cell-culture-based influenza vaccine has just successfully completed Phase I clinical trials and its recombinant meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccine candidates are in preclinical development. IAF BioVac is the vaccine subsidiary of BioChem Pharma Inc., an international biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative products for the prevention, detection, and treatment of human diseases.
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