029 Group SE

Regulatory Filings • Apr 10, 2002

News Details

Corporate | 10 April 2002 08:00

Rhein Biotech N.V. english

License Agreement with Crucell for PER.C6 Cell Line Corporate-news announcement sent by DGAP. The sender is solely responsible for the contents of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– Dutch antibody and vaccine company Crucell N.V. (NASDAQ, Euronext: CRXL) and Rhein Biotech N.V., a global biotechnology company specialized in vaccines (Neuer Markt: RBO), today announced that they have converted their research collaboration into a commercial license agreement, wherein Crucells PER.C6 cell line will be used by Rhein Biotech for the development and manufacturing of a new improved vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis. The new agreement builds on the successful joint research program performed at Rhein Biotechs subsidiary GreenCross Vaccine Corp. In this program, feasibility studies have shown positive and convincing results for an improved vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis developed on Crucells PER.C6 cell line. Details of the Agreement Rhein Biotech has obtained a worldwide license to use Crucells PER.C6 cell line to develop and commercialize a vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis. Crucell will receive upfront and annual payments, as well as milestone payments and royalties on net product sales. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. The results of the program revealed the outstanding quality of the PER.C6 cell line as a manufacturing platform for our leading Japanese Encephalitis vaccine, says Daan Ellens, CEO of Rhein Biotech. We expect that with the development and production of this 2nd generation vaccine we can significantly increase our market shares both in Asia as well as in industrialized nations. We are very pleased to work with Rhein Biotech, which is one of the leading parties in the field of Japanese Encephalitis vaccine and has an established marketing position in Asia says Dinko Valerio, CEO of Crucell. The results of the program as well as the new agreement confirm again that the PER.C6 cell line has become an industry standard. It is a safe and scalable system that adequately fulfills the vaccine industrys requirements. PER.C6 PER.C6 is a human cell platform for the development and manufacturing of bio- pharmaceutical products such as antibodies, proteins and vaccines. The superior yields and scalability of PER.C6, as well as the extensive history and safety documentation render PER.C6 the safe, cost effective and large-volume manufacturing platform that the pharmaceutical industry requires. Having launched the use of PER.C6 as a vaccine platform through an exclusive licensing agreement with Merck & Co. for their HIV vaccine, Crucell aims to expand its PER.C6 business in the field of vaccines. The current agreement with Rhein Biotech endorses this strategy. Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine Japanese Encephalitis is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in the greatest part of Asia. The majority of the people living in the endemic areas are infected with the virus before the age of 15. More than 50.000 children suffer from encephalitis each year of which around 10.000 die. Annual campaigns by GreenCross Vaccine have proven the relevance of vaccination by drastically reducing the incidence of Japenese Encephalitis in Korea. In 1969, Rhein Biotechs subsidiary GreenCross Vaccine was one of the first companies worldwide to market a vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis. The vaccine is used to protect children living in and people travelling to the endemic areas. Rhein Biotech is currently one of only two companies selling Japanese Encephalitis vaccines to travellers in Europe. The new cell-derived Japanese Encephalitis vaccine developed using the PER.C6 cell line will have advantages over the conventional Japanese Encephalitis vaccine in terms of safety, production costs and production capacity. It is therefore expected that this will lead to a wider range of recommendations for vaccination against Japanese Encephalitis, especially in industrialised countries. Improved production capacities will open up further vaccine supply opportunities also to endemic areas. For further information please contact: Crucell N.V. Company Contact: Ronald Brus Executive VP Business Development Tel. +31-(0)71-524 8723 Fax. +31-(0) 71-524 8935 r.brus@crucell.nl Rhein Biotech N.V. Company Contact: Marcel Jacobs Communication Manager T: +31 (0)43 / 35 67 894 F: +31 (0)43 / 35 67 899 E: m.jacobs@rheinbiotech.com end of message, (c)DGAP 10.04.2002