Vical, AnGes partner for equine polyclonal antibody therapy against Ebola

As part of the agreement, Vical will develop and provide a DNA vaccine encoding the glycoprotein antigen of the 2014 Zaire strain of Ebola virus to AnGes, which has been formulated with Vical’s proprietary Vaxfectin adjuvant.

AnGes will be granted exclusive right to develop and commercialize the equine polyclonal antibody therapy in Japan and will be accountable for all development costs.

Additionally, Vical will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive royalties on net sales and a percentage of payments received by AnGes under any sub-licensing agreements.

Vical Vaccine Research vice-president Larry Smith said: "Therapeutic interventions may be the best near-term solution for dealing with the Ebola epidemic. And historical use of polyclonal antibodies bodes well for this approach."

AnGes president and CEO Dr Ei Yamada said: "Thanks to Vical, we will soon start an initial study in Japan for the purpose of collecting data and optimizing the production process."

According to the Ebola response roadmap situation report by the World Health Organization, more than 20,000 cases of Ebola virus disease have been reported among nine countries as of 31 December 2014.

The West African nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea were the worst hit.

Image: Electron micrograph of an Ebola virus virion. Photo: courtesy of CDC/Cynthia Goldsmith.