PARIS and BOSTON, Nov. 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neovacs (Alternext Paris:ALNEV), a leader in active immunotherapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, today announced an agreement with the Argentinean company AMEGABIOTECH to acquire its Interferon Alpha (IFNα) manufacturing license. IFNα is a key component of Neovacs’ lead therapeutic candidate, IFNα Kinoid, which is composed of inactivated IFNα coupled with a carrier protein, keyhole limpet hemocyanin.
Miguel Sieler, CEO of Neovacs, commented: "With this agreement, the company has reinforced its ability to maintain control of its technology, quality control, manufacturing and costs, which is key to our overall growth strategy as we continue advancing the clinical development of our lead candidate IFNα Kinoid. With greater control over our Kinoid technology, we can drive optimization of manufacturing costs and more effectively support the potential commercialization of IFNα Kinoid for the treatment of lupus, a complex autoimmune disease where medical needs are urgent and unmet today.”
AMEGABIOTECH is a leading global producer of IFNα protein and a long term supplier of Neovacs, particularly for its on-going Phase IIb study of IFNα Kinoid in Lupus. Their product is recognized by the international biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry for the quality of its technological manufacturing, which also meets all relevant international standards for GMP (Good manufacturing Practice).
About AMEGABIOTECH
"AMEGABIOTECH is a- leader in development, production and commercialization of biotech products for human health - located in Argentina. Exporting recombinant proteins worldwide and focused on central markets registrations, AMEGA Biotech is the leading regional producer. Their work and vision are directed forward. Their core operations are based on a comprehensive design and integration of all the processes involved in the production of high technology products, from cell engineering to APIproduction and Finished Dosage Forms manufacturing. Their development and production model is a competitive advantage in the regional and world biotechnology industry, allowing us to face the future and constant challenges of a dynamic field. AMEGABIOTECH contributes to the future of biotechnology by understanding its high impact on society and its benefits on human health." http://www.amega-biotech.com.ar/
About Neovacs Technology
Neovacs targets pathologies associated with an overproduction of endogenous cytokines. This technology is based on active immunotherapy to generate an immune response through the administration of an immunogenic complex involving the target cytokine to a carrier protein. The intramuscular injection of this Kinoid induces an immune response and stimulates the production of polyclonal antibodies against the target cytokines. It is thus possible to block cytokine overproduction and its pharmacological effects. Several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (Type 1 diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, etc.) are characterized by a disorder of cytokines that are found produced in excess (ex: IFNa). This overproduction will promote inflammation and dysregulation of the immune system.
About Neovacs
Listed on Alternext Paris since 2010, Neovacs is today a leading biotechnology company focused on an active immunotherapy technology platform (Kinoids) with applications in autoimmune and/or inflammatory diseases. On the basis of the company’s proprietary technology for inducing a polyclonal immune response (covered by five patent families that potentially run until 2032) Neovacs is focusing its clinical development efforts on IFNα-Kinoid, an immunotherapy being developed for the indication of lupus, dermatomyositis and also in preclinical trial for Type 1 diabetes. Neovacs is also conducting preclinical development works on other therapeutic vaccines in the fields of auto-immune diseases, oncology and allergies. The goal of the Kinoid approach is to enable patients to have access to safe treatments with efficacy that is sustained in these life-long diseases. www.neovacs.fr