Current partnerships
Vectura has all the capabilities required to develop inhaled pharmaceuticals starting with an active pharmaceutical ingredient, through to proof-of-principle, including formulation, development of pre-clinical data and the management of clinical studies and, in parallel, powder production, device concept and design, filling and pilot production (plus industrial manufacture with expert partners). Vectura's partnerships range from the complete development of an inhaled pharmaceutical product, to licensing its devices or formulation technologies that will be used by its partner for the development of their own drugs.
Some examples of Vectura's existing partnerships can be seen below:
Baxter
Boehringer
Ingelheim
GlaxoSmithKline
Merck
Generics (part of Mylan Inc)
MicroDose
Technologies
Novartis
Otsuka
ProFibrix
Sosei/Arakis
UCB Pharma
Baxter
In 2000, Baxter was granted exclusive and non-exclusive worldwide rights to use Vectura's protein stabilisation patents and has used the technology in its serum-free recombinant Factor VIII, ADVATE® which is marketed by Baxter worldwide. Vectura receives royalties on sales of ADVATE®.
Boehringer Ingelheim
In 2006, Vectura signed a worldwide licence and collaboration agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to develop a dry powder inhaler for its proprietary respiratory products for the treatment of asthma and COPD. Under the terms of the agreement, Vectura received an initial payment of €5 million and a €10 million equity investment and an additional payment of €10 million and a further €5 million equity investment in November 2007. Further payments and investments will be made when certain clinical, regulatory and commercialisation milestones are successfully achieved. In addition, royalties will be paid on any future product sales using the dry powder inhaler.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
GSK is using Vectura's formulation and delivery patents for the development of DNA vaccines delivered onto, into and across the skin. PowderMed Limited (owned by Pfizer) has taken a sub-licence from GSK to use these licensed patents in certain fields. Vectura will receive development milestone and royalty payments based upon the successful development and commercialisation of any future products.
Merck Genericss (part of Mylan Inc)
In 2002 an exclusive agreement was entered into with Merck for the rights to market the Clickhaler® with budesonide and formoterol (known as the Budesonide Clickhaler® and Formoterol Clickhaler®) in Europe and a number of other territories. In October 2007 Merck was bought by Mylan Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, Vectura will receive up to £10 million access and milestone payments and royalty payments on future sales. Vectura works with Merck's regulatory department to secure marketing authorisation approvals. Vectura supplies Merck with the device on commercial terms.
MicroDose Technologies Inc
QDose Limited, a company formed in 1999 and equally owned by Vectura Group plc and MicroDose, is developing a rapidly acting inhaled insulin product for the treatment of diabetes. In 2003 QDose entered into a licence, collaboration and development agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) for the exclusive rights to the rapid acting insulin product. BMS funded the development of this project until 2005 when it returned the rights to QDose as part of a restructuring. QDose will be seeking a new licensing partner in 2007.
Novartis
In April 2005 Vectura and Arakis Ltd (now part of Sosei Group Corporation) signed a $375 million global licence agreement for NVA237 with Novartis. Vectura and Arakis each received an initial payment of $15 million and will receive further payments when clinical, regulatory and commercialisation milestones are successfully achieved. In addition, royalties will be paid on any future product sales. Novartis is now developing NVA237 as monotherapy and also in combination with QAB149 as QVA149, both for the treatment of COPD.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co Ltd
In 2003, an exclusive licence was entered into with Otsuka for the rights to market its asthma treatment, Meptin® (procaterol) in the Clickhaler®. Otsuka undertook its successful clinical development and received marketing approval for Meptin in Japan in 2005. This event triggered a milestone payment and a further payment when Meptin was launched. Vectura supplies Otsuka with the device on commercial terms.
ProFibrix BV
ProFibrix, a biotechnology company based in the Netherlands, is using Vectura's dry powder technology and formulation expertise to develop Fibrocaps®, a mixture of fibrinogen and thrombin in a unique dry powder formulation that stops acute and severe bleeding after trauma or elective surgery.
Sosei Group Corporation / Arakis Ltd
In 2000, Vectura and Arakis Ltd (now part of Sosei Group Corporation) signed a collaboration agreement to develop an inhaled pharmaceutical to treat COPD, NVA237, jointly funding its development and sharing future commercial returns. In 2004, they announced the successful completion of a Phase IIa trial and in 2005 signed an agreement with Novartis.
UCB Pharma
UCB (previously Celltech) has been marketing Asmasal® and Asmabec® Clickhaler products since 1997.
Asmasal® contains salbutamol, a short-acting beta-2 agonist for the quick relief of asthma symptoms, and Asmabec® contains beclometasone, an inhaled steroid used as standard preventative therapy for asthma. Asmasal® and Asmabec® are marketed by UCB in UK, France and Ireland.
