Vaxart, Inc. a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oral recombinant vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection, announced that it has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Altesa Biosciences, Inc. to allow Altesa to develop and commercialize Vaxart’s patented formulation of the capsid-binding VapendavirTM, a clinical-stage broad spectrum antiviral.
Altesa is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics addressing RNA viruses, the principal cause of global infectious disease burden. Altesa was co-founded by Dennis Liotta, PhD, Executive Director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development and Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Chemistry at Emory University, and George Painter, PhD, a renowned biotech entrepreneur and co-founder of Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE), a university-based drug discovery center established in response to the falling output and rising costs of pharmaceutical research and development. Dr. Painter is the Chief Science Officer of Altesa and Dr. Liotta serves as chairman of Altesa’s Scientific Advisory Board.
“We believe that Vapendavir has lifesaving potential in the treatment of a range of viral infections for which there are currently no approved antivirals,” Vaxart’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrei Floroiu said. “This agreement represents another potential value creation lever for Vaxart, even as Vaxart puts its primary emphasis on the development of oral vaccines. Having a partner such as Altesa, led by a scientist and entrepreneur of George Painter’s stature, will accelerate Vapendavir’s development.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Altesa is granted the worldwide, exclusive right to develop, manufacture, and commercialize Vaxart’s proprietary formulation of Vapendavir. Vaxart is eligible to receive up to $130 million in development and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties ranging from the low-single to low-double digits on product sales for multiple indications.
Vaxart acquired Vapendavir in 2018 as part of the merger with Aviragen Therapeutics, Inc., and previously demonstrated preclinically and in clinical trials that Vapendavir is active against a broad spectrum of enteroviruses and could combat respiratory infections produced by the human rhinovirus (HRV).
Vapendavir has potential applications in treating a range of infections including: epidemic hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) that affects millions globally, particularly in developing countries; HRV infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients; and several illnesses affecting children, including enteroviral infections, seasonal recurrent lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in preschoolers, and seasonal asthma exacerbation in school-age children.
Dr George Painter said, “We are excited to expand the pipeline of novel antivirals through this licensing agreement with Vaxart. Vapendavir has shown promising preclinical and clinical data demonstrating effective control of certain respiratory viruses and we believe in its potential to help patients suffering from a range of viral infections.”
Dr. Painter added, “My number one priority is to make a difference in patients’ lives. I am hopeful that we can create modern antiviral treatments as we have with HIV, MERS and SARS.”