Vaccine developer Intravacc launches hybrid business model to drive innovation and growth

BILTHOVEN, Netherlands, Sept. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Intravacc, a global leader in translational research and the development of vaccines against infectious diseases and therapeutic vaccines, today launches its new hybrid business model that should lead to further innovation and sustainable growth over the next five years. On the one hand, Intravacc's new business model leans on contract research and small-scale GMP production for clinical research on vaccine efficacy and safety (CDMO), and on the other hand on the independent development and commercialization of proprietary intranasally administered vaccine candidates through licensing agreements.

Potential of Intravacc's contract research

Intravacc sees great opportunities thanks to its vast experience in vaccine development - from basic research to phase I & II clinical trials. Intravacc has signed a number of multi-year contracts with profit and non-profit organizations for the development of vaccines against both infectious diseases and cancer. These projects will generate revenue for Intravacc through licensing, technology, R&D services, and pilot production. A number of milestone and royalty contracts (approx. 3%) have been signed, which will run through 2031. Intravacc expects to enter into one to two service-, and partnership agreements per year, with income from these contracts accounting for 70-80% of the company's total revenue.

Prof. Virgil Schijns, Chief Scientific Officer at Intravacc, says: 

"We believe that within five to ten years patients will be treated with therapeutic cancer vaccines, probably in combination with complementary immunotherapies. Intravacc is currently developing a therapeutic vaccine for bladder cancer and hopes to start a phase I study in late 2023." 

Intravacc's proprietary vaccine pipeline

Prior to its privatization on 1 January of this year, Intravacc was a governmental vaccine research institute with a rich pipeline of vaccine candidates against bacterial and viral infections. At the time, these vaccines, now part of Intravacc B.V., were developed on several patented platforms and the results of the relevant studies were published in leading scientific journals. The unique feature of these vaccines is their administration through the nose. The vaccines include sIPV (Polio), RSV, whooping cough (Bordetella Pertussis), and Gonococcal (Neisseria gonorrhoeae), but also the Avacc-10 vaccine against COVID-19, which is now under development. These proprietary vaccines will be marketed under a partnership or licensing agreement, following completion of a phase I clinical trial. These proprietary vaccines will eventually contribute about 20% to Intravacc's turnover.

The excellent preclinical study results of Avacc-10 were recently published on the preprint site bioRxiv.  In addition, Intravacc has started a promotional campaign (Avacc10video) to emphasize the importance of the nasal spray vaccine, that can also be used as a booster vaccine. Unlike the patented COVID-19 vaccines currently on the market, Avacc-10 is free of licensing fees and inexpensive to produce. Because it is free of licensing fees, this vaccine is also eligible for the WHO COVID-19 "Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) program".

Dr. Jan Groen, Intravacc's CEO, responds:

"Our new hybrid business model makes Intravacc well positioned to capitalize on the rapidly growing market for therapeutic cancer vaccines.  Revenues derived from our contract research activities will form the basis of our revenue growth. Our proprietary pipeline of intranasal vaccines is also promising. Intravacc will initiate a financing round, possibly together with a partner, to enable the development of these vaccines up to clinical phase I."

Market potential

Vaccine contract  development projects for rare diseases and oncology are currently booming. Recent major success with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) showed what was possible to treat cancer patients. We now see  research & development resources freed up by ICI are  shifting towards the develpment of therapeutic cancer vaccines.  Now more than 500 different cancer vaccines are in various stage of development.  However, process development, manufacturing and scale-up of therapeutic cancer vaccines in general one of the major challenges. The relatively small patient population for rare diseases and cancer in general combined manufacturing challenges will drive up the prices of these type of vaccines. ITV has man years of vaccine development experience from discovery up to phase I/II clinical trials. As a company we have developed a business plan based on a hybrid strategy focusing on CDMO services to address the growing rare disease and TCV market, but ITV also has the intention to put forward its own pipeline of early-stage products.    

About Intravacc

Intravacc, located at Utrecht Science Park Bilthoven in the Netherlands, is a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization for infectious diseases and therapeutic vaccines. As an established independent CDMO with many years of experience in the development and optimization of vaccines and vaccine technologies, Intravacc has transferred its technology related to polio vaccines, measles vaccines, DPT vaccines, Hib vaccines and influenza vaccines around the world. Around 40% of childhood disease vaccines are based on Intravacc's proprietary technology. Intravacc offers a wide range of expertise for independent vaccine development, from concept to Phase I/II clinical studies for partners around the world, including universities, public health organizations (WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), biotech and pharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.intravacc.nl.

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Contact info
Intravacc 
Dr. Jan Groen, CEO
P: +31 30 7920 454

Mirjam Hartman, Media relations
P: +31 6 115 969 94
E: [email protected] 

LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication, Amsterdam
Leon Melens
P: +31 6 538 16427
E: [email protected]

SOURCE Intravacc