The Dutch developer Crucell has opted to shelve its development program for a West Nile vaccine after seeing a drop in the number of people infected by the virus in the U.S. That was a surprise move to analysts, who had considered the vaccine program one of the key therapies in Crucell's pipeline. But Crucell Chief Executive Ronald Brus says it just doesn't make sense to proceed. Some 10,000 Americans were infected by West Nile in 2003 when it launched the program. Last year that figure dropped to 3,000. Crucell's shares slid four percent on the news.
- see this excerpt [1] from Crucell's earnings report
- read the report [2] from The Guardian
Related Articles:
Crucell, MedImmune strike deal. Report [3]
Crucell acquires SBL Vaccin for €39.4M. Report [4]
Crucell halts Aerugen development. Report [5]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/excerpt-crucell-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2007-results
[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7302790
[3] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/spotlight-crucell-medimmune-strike-deal/2007-10-15
[4] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/crucell-acquires-sbl-vaccin-for-836439.4m/2006-11-21
[5] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/crucell-halts-aerugen-development/2006-07-18