Sanofi to acquire Origimm Biotechnology to develop acne vaccine

Sanofi has announced that it entered into an agreement to acquire Origimm Biotechnology, an Austrian privately owned biotechnology company specialising in the discovery of virulent skin microbiome components and antigens from bacteria causing skin disease, such as acne.

The transaction adds to Sanofi pipeline a potential first-in-class vaccine candidate in acne vulgaris, a condition affecting millions of people worldwide. The acquisition is expected to close early December 2021.

The transaction will add ORI-001 to Sanofi’s early-stage pipeline. ORI-001 is a therapeutic vaccine candidate for acne vulgaris based on recombinant proteins, which entered preliminary clinical studies in Q3 2021. In parallel, Sanofi is working to develop additional antigen versions and expects to leverage its next-generation mRNA platform in a comprehensive Phase I/II trial to start in 2023.  

Origimm (‘Origins of Immunity’) is an Austrian biotech company that specialises in the discovery of vaccine antigens and drug targets for prevention and treatment of diseases and infections associated with skin-colonising microbes. According to Sanofi, Origimm brings expertise in antigen discovery for immune modulation of skin microbiome-associated disorders.

“The acquisition of Origimm further broadens our vaccines R&D pipeline with a first vaccine candidate against acne, a high medical need for millions of teenagers and adults,” commented Thomas Triomphe, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Sanofi. “Welcoming Origimm with Sanofi expands our area of expertise by bringing extensive know-how in the field of skin microbiome and skin immunology. We look forward to unlocking the full potential of this candidate.”

“We are looking forward to combining our expertise and strengths to continue developing innovative solutions for prevention and treatment of the skin microbiome-associated diseases, such as common acne” added Dr Sanya Selak, Founder and Chief Executive Officer/Chief Strategy Officer of Origimm. “Together with such a strong partner like Sanofi, we will strive to creating a paradigm shift in treatment of skin diseases and many other microbiome-associated disorders and infections, for which current medical solutions are inadequate.”