Vicebio Advances Clinical Study of RSV/hMPV Bivalent Vaccine & Strengthens Board with Appointments of World Class Veterans

• Vicebio enters the second stage of its Phase 1 Clinical Study of its lead candidate VXB-241 
• The Clinical Study, an actively controlled Proof of Concept Phase 1 conducted in target population aged 60+, is progressing as planned with initial data expected by mid-2025
• Moncef Slaoui, former Chief Scientific Advisor of Operation Warp Speed & former Chair of R&D at GlaxoSmithKline and Khurem Farooq, previously CEO of Aiolos, join Board of Directors

LONDON, Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vicebio Ltd ("Vicebio"), a biopharmaceutical company pioneering next-generation vaccines for life-threatening respiratory viruses, today announces its progress in the ongoing VXB-241 bivalent RSV-hMPV Phase 1 (P1) study as well as the appointment of Moncef Slaoui, PhD, and Khurem Farooq to its Board of Directors.

Vicebio is progressing into the second stage of its clinical study of VXB-241 and is now enrolling individuals aged 60 years of age and above to evaluate the candidate vaccine's safety in this vulnerable population. Early data from the study are expected by mid-2025. Vicebio anticipates these data will represent a significant milestone in the clinical validation of its platform. More information on the P1 study can be found on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06556147).

Moncef Slaoui, PhD, and Khurem Farooq join the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Both bring vast experience in vaccine development and biopharmaceutical leadership.

Emmanuel Hanon, Chief Executive Officer of Vicebio, said: "In connection with our significant Series B financing, we are building upon our world-class leadership team with the addition of Moncef and Khurem to the Board. Their expertise not only further supports our innovation but will be essential as we continue to advance the Company's vision to deliver the next generation of respiratory viral vaccines."

At the heart of Vicebio's innovation is its proprietary Molecular Clamp technology, designed to stabilise viral antigens and enhance protective immunity across multiple respiratory pathogens. This transformative technology supports the development of multivalent respiratory viral vaccines that are ready-to-use, cost-effective, and capable of addressing critical needs in global respiratory health.

Moncef Slaoui, PhD, newly appointed Independent Board Member at Vicebio, commented: "Vicebio's Molecular Clamp technology marks a transformative advancement in vaccine development. It is fantastic to be joining the Board of a company where the technology and novel approach holds the potential to expedite delivery of highly effective and stable vaccines in ready-to-use prefilled syringes."

Khurem Farooq, newly appointed Independent Board Member at Vicebio, added: "Vicebio is at an exciting phase of growth as it looks to advance its pipeline of multivalent vaccines with the potential to prevent a wide range of diseases in a single vaccine."

Moncef Slaoui, PhD, has extensive experience in drug development and commercialisation. He currently serves as an advisor to Medicxi and is on the Board of Directors of several companies including Arcturus Therapeutics, Altesa, and Zephyr AI. Under his leadership as Chief Scientific Advisor to Operation Warp Speed, he played a critical role in the rapid development and deployment of multiple of COVID-19 vaccines in the US. Prior to this Moncef's career at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) spanned nearly three decades, where he held several senior leadership roles, including being a member of the Board of Directors. He spearheaded GSK's Pharmaceutical R&D restructuring to improve focus on innovation and productivity, and was instrumental in the development of 14 new vaccines, including Shingrix, to prevent shingles; Cervarix, to prevent cervical cancer and Mosquirix, to prevent malaria. Moncef earned a PhD in Molecular Biology and Immunology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School and Tufts University. He also holds an accelerated MBA from IMD in Switzerland.

Khurem Farooq is an avid biotech entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in drug development. Khurem was co-founder and CEO of Aiolos Bio, which was acquired by GSK for $1.4bn in February 2024. Prior to this, Khurem served as CEO of Gyroscope, which was acquired by Novartis in 2021 for up to $1.5bn. Khurem was Senior Vice President of the Immunology and Ophthalmology business unit at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, where he played a key role in the commercialisation and launch strategies of several medicines and contributed to the development of numerous pipeline products. He holds an MBA and a BSc in Biological Sciences, with honours, from Aston University and University of Wolverhampton, respectively.

About Vicebio
Vicebio is focused on developing next-generation respiratory virus vaccines using the Molecular Clamp technology. The Company was founded with investment from Medicxi and acquired the rights to the Molecular Clamp technology through a license from UniQuest, the commercialization arm of The University of Queensland, Australia. This proprietary technology was developed by Prof. Paul Young, Prof. Daniel Watterson, and Prof. Keith Chappell at UQ.

Vicebio is backed by a global syndicate of life science investors including Medicxi, UniQuest TCGX, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Avoro Ventures and venBio. For more information, please visit: www.vicebio.com

SOURCE Vicebio