Merck, Thermis collaborate to develop vaccines

Themis Bioscience has announced a research collaboration and exclusive license agreement with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA) for the discovery and development of undisclosed vaccine candidates using Themis’ measles virus vector-based platform.

"Given the versatility of our immune-modulation platform and our proven ability to rapidly generate product candidates across a broad range of infectious disease and cancer indications, our partnership with MSD, a global leader in vaccine development, validates the potential of our measles virus-based technology," said Erich Tauber, MD, CEO of Themis Bioscience. "We are excited to collaborate with MSD and to develop a vaccine that has the potential to provide a significant benefit to a great number of patients worldwide."

Under the terms of the agreement, Themis will develop vaccine candidates against an undisclosed disease target. MSD will provide research funding and make an equity investment in Themis. In addition Themis will be eligible to receive development and sales milestone payments up to the potential value of approximately USD 200 million as well as royalties on approved products from the collaboration. No further financial details were disclosed.

"At MSD, we continue to evaluate technologies with the potential to deliver novel vaccine candidates," said Daria Hazuda, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Exploratory Science Center and vice president of infectious diseases and vaccine discovery at MSD. "We look forward to collaborating with the scientists at Themis."

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