iosBio Inks Exclusive Vax Platform Pact for COVID-19

iosBio, a UK-based biotechnology company developing orally administered vaccines, entered an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with ImmunityBio, Inc. a US-based immunotherapy company, for iosBio’s OraPro vaccine platform technology currently being investigated in trials of ImmunityBio’s second-gen human Adeno (hAd5) COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

OraPro oral delivery vaccine platform technology enables oral administration of thermally-stable, viral vector vaccines. These vaccine vectors are engineered to withstand temperatures of up to 50°C, allowing them to pass through the hostile conditions in the stomach without loss of efficacy and providing long-term product stability at ambient temperatures. Oral administration delivers the vaccine directly to mucosal associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), generating mucosal, systemic and T-cell immune responses.

Under the licensing agreement, iosBio has granted ImmunityBio exclusive rights to utilize its OraPro platform technology for the oral delivery of ImmunityBio’s human Adeno (hAd5) COVID-19 vaccine candidate. iosBio will be eligible to receive royalties on worldwide sales of the approved oral vaccine.

Pending ImmunityBio’s discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the oral vaccine will enter Phase I trials as a prime and boost, and will be explored to provide a boost to subcutaneous vaccinations. Twenty participants have already completed testing in ImmunityBio’s Phase I trial, which evaluated both low and high doses of subcutaneous hAd5, with zero grade 3/4 adverse events reported.