Protherics acquires adjuvant to enhance angiotensin vaccine for hypertension

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, June 7 - Protherics plc said Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Dutch company CoVaccine BV to acquire CoVaccine's novel adjuvant.

The adjuvant has been selected by Protherics for inclusion in its angiotensin vaccine for the treatment of hypertension following screening of a number of third party proprietary adjuvants, according to a company news release.

In preclinical models, a new formulation of angiotensin vaccine containing CoVaccine's adjuvant resulted in a 10 fold higher level of antibody production against angiotensin than the formulation previously used by Protherics in its phase 2a study, company officials said.

The company said it now has completed non-clinical safety testing of the CoVaccine adjuvant and is preparing GMP manufacture of both the adjuvant and the vaccine to start a phase 2a proof-of-concept study with the new formulation in the second half of 2007.

The goal of this study will be to confirm that the new formulation increases levels of anti-angiotensin antibodies in hypertensive patients and to establish whether this results in a reduction in blood pressure.

Protherics said it will pay CoVaccine up to €1.05 million, which is to be satisfied by the grant of the right to receive 295,413 Protherics ordinary shares, following the signing of the deal, and a further 590,826 Protherics ordinary shares upon completion of two development-related milestones. CoVaccine also is entitled to receive a low, single-digit royalty on net sales of products containing the CoVaccine adjuvant, officials said.

"This adjuvant produced a dramatic increase in antibody response when compared with other third party adjuvants we tested," Andrew Heath, chief executive officer of Protherics, said in the release.

The market for the treatment of high blood pressure is estimated to be in excess of $30 billion per year, officials said.

Protherics is a London biopharmaceutical company focused on development of critical care and oncology products.

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