EPALINGES, SWITZERLAND, Oct 04, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Mymetics Corporation /quotes/zigman/289201 MYMX +34.15% , a pioneer in the development of vaccines that use the human mucosal system, the body's first line of defense, to prevent transmission of infectious diseases, announced today that it has been able to regain its innovative intra-nasal influenza vaccine from Solvay.
Ronald Kempers, CFO of Mymetics, commented: "We strongly believe in the intra-nasal flu vaccine and are delighted to have this important vaccine back in our vaccine portfolio which can provide Mymetics new opportunities to develop strategic partnerships with established and emerging vaccine producers."
"We believe that the good immune response developed by this inactivated non adjuvanted nasal vaccine and its ease of use will allow us to improve the immunization of children and the elderly," said Jacques-Francois Martin, the CEO of Mymetics.
Mymetics' had licensed its intra-nasal flu vaccine to Solvay which had developed the vaccine successfully until 2008, including the completion of a successful Phase I. Intranasal vaccination was found to be safe and well tolerated, and resulted in antibodies in the blood that exceeded the CHMP (Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use) criteria for injected influenza vaccines.
A change in strategy and reprioritization at Solvay and the sale of Solvay Biologicals to Abbott Laboratories in 2010 resulted in Solvay suspending its development of Mymetics' innovative and promising intra-nasal vaccine product.
Mymetics has now been able to reclaim the intra-nasal flu vaccine product including all the clinical trial data, which will allow it to develop the vaccine further in the clinic and bring it to market with different strategic partners.
About Mymetics Mymetics Corporation is a Switzerland-based biotechnology company registered in the US /quotes/zigman/289201 MYMX +34.15% developing next-generation preventative vaccines for infectious diseases. Mymetics' core technology and expertise are in the use of virosomes, lipid-based carriers containing functional fusion viral proteins, in combination with rationally designed antigens. The company's vaccines are designed to induce protection against early transmission and infection, focusing on the mucosal immune response as a first-line defense, which for some pathogens may be essential for the development of an effective prophylactic vaccine. Mymetics currently has five vaccines in its pipeline: HIV-1/AIDS, Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Malaria and Herpes Simplex Virus. The company's HIV-1 vaccine has completed a Phase I clinical trial in healthy human volunteers. A Phase 1b clinical trial for its Malaria vaccine on children in Tanzania has been completed, while RSV and HSV vaccine candidates are in the preclinical phase. For further information, please visit www.mymetics.com .