PDS Biotechnology Corporation announced a co-development agreement with Farmacore Biotechnology for Versamune-CoV-2FC, a Versamune-based vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19 infection.
Under the collaboration, PDS Biotech and Farmacore will accelerate development of Versamune-CoV-2FC into Phase 1 clinical testing in Brazil, with initial financial support provided by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication (MCTIC). Versamune-CoV-2FC combines a Farmacore-developed recombinant SARS-CoV-2 protein with PDS Biotech’s Versamune platform nanotechnology. The rapid advancement of this joint COVID-19 program expands upon a previously announced research and development collaboration between PDS Biotech and Farmacore to develop a Versamune-based vaccine for tuberculosis.
“We are excited to expand our ongoing collaboration with Farmacore, which provides an opportunity to rapidly accelerate development of a novel COVID-19 vaccine into Phase 1 clinical testing in Brazil,” said Dr. Frank Bedu-Addo, Chief Executive Officer, PDS Biotech. “We believe that pairing PDS Biotech’s Versamune T-cell activating vaccine technology with Farmacore’s recombinant SARS-CoV-2 protein will allow us to quickly assess the efficacy of Versamune-CoV-2FC to potentially reduce the continuing spread of COVID-19 infections.”
“This is a global pandemic, which requires a global effort. In joining forces with our partner PDS Biotech, we believe we can substantially accelerate our development efforts to bring an effective COVID-19 vaccine, inducing a broader range of long-term protective immune responses, to people around the world,” said Helena Faccioli, Executive Director of Farmacore.
The companies plan to utilize multiple research and development sites in the United States and Brazil to progress preclinical and clinical development of Versamune-CoV-2FC. Under the terms of the agreement, Farmacore retains commercialization rights in Latin America, and revenues from Latin America sales will be shared between the two companies. PDS Biotech retains the right of first refusal for commercialization outside of Latin America. PDS Biotech is in discussions with other governmental and non-governmental agencies regarding additional funding for a COVID-19 vaccine.