ABIVAX signs agreement with the Finlay Institute to commercialise meningococcal and typhoid vaccines in Asia and Latin America

ABIVAX, a leading European, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing  and commercializing anti-viral compounds and human vaccines, today announced that it has signed an agreement with The Finlay Institute, Havana, Cuba, that will allow it to commercialise vaccines against typhoid, meningococcus,  and leptospirosis, in Asian and Latin American markets. 

Under the terms of the agreement, ABIVAX will gain exclusive and non-exclusive distribution rights for three vaccines currently marketed successfully by The Finlay Institute in Cuba. These vaccines are:

• Typhoid: vax‐TyVi – targeting Typhoid
• Meningococcal: VA‐MENGOC‐BC – targeting Groups B & C Meningococcus
• Leptospirosis: vax‐SPIRAL – targeting Leptospirosis

ABIVAX will have rights to commercialise these products in a range of countries in Asia, including India, Indonesia and the Philippines, and Latin America, including Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay. As a result, ABIVAX has gained distribution rights to a number of exciting opportunities including typhoid in India, which is a market estimated to be worth over $600 million per annum. The Finlay Institute will be responsible for the cost competitive production of all three vaccines.

ABIVAX intends to build a commercial network to market these vaccines by appointing carefully selected partners in each of these countries. ABIVAX will select its partners based on a number of criteria including ability to service the selected market, portfolio fit and strength of relations with the local authorities. ABIVAX will be responsible for the regulatory filings in each market, supported by its local partner. The first sales from this agreement are expected in 2015.

ABIVAX will generate further value from this commercial network by using it to market products such as ABX203, a therapeutic vaccine candidate for chronic hepatitis B, which it is currently developing. ABX203 was in-licensed by ABIVAX from the Cuban Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Havana, Cuba), as announced in February 2014.

Prof. Hartmut Ehrlich, M.D., CEO of ABIVAX, said: “Today’s agreement with The Finlay Institute is a further step in ABIVAX’ strategy to become a global leader in the anti-virals and vaccines and thus protect a large number of people from these serious and potentially life threatening infectious diseases. We intend to leverage this deal by creating a strong distribution network in Asia and Latin America that will not only drive the sales of these competitive vaccine products but also products such as ABX203 which we currently have under development.”

Dr. Philippe Pouletty, M.D., Chairman of ABIVAX, added: “We are looking forward to be working with The Finlay Institute to tackle these important healthcare problems and to create value for both organisations.”

Dr Daniel Cardoso of the Finlay Institute said: “We are delighted to be working with ABIVAX. We have been impressed with their commitment to Cuba and our leading position in life sciences. We are confident that their experienced management team will be able to generate significant sales in Asia and Latin America from our proven vaccines against typhoid, meningococcus and leptospirosis, three major healthcare problems in these regions.”