Pfizer buys herpes vaccine, access to orphan growth hormone

07-Jan-2015 - Last updated on 07-Jan-2015 at 13:45 GMT

Pregnant women risk passing human cytomegalovirus on to their children

Pfizer has acquired a herpes vaccine candidate with the buyout of Swiss preclinical-stage company Redvax.

The pharma giant announced this week it has acquired a controlling interest in Redvax GmbH, a spin-off from Zurich-based private biotech Redbiotec AG.

Redvax develops multi-component virus-like particles (VLPs) and other protein assemblies for vaccine development. The share purchase gives Pfizer access to a preclinical vaccine candidate against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and technology for a second, undisclosed vaccine programme.

CMV is a herpes virus which infects 50-90% of the adult population. Most sufferers remain asymptomatic but pregnant women can pass the infection on to children in the womb. One in five babies born with the disease may experience hearing loss and serious neurologic disabilities.

The preclinical CMV candidate is a recombinant protein produced in insect cells, Pfizer told BioPharma-Reporter.com. It declined to comment on financial terms and whether Pfizer plans to move manufacturing out of Switzerland.

Christian Schaub, CEO of Redbiotec and MD of Redvax, said the company was pleased at the deal with Pfizer.

“This represents an important step toward the development of a much needed vaccine for CMV, a disease that has a devastating impact on children and families. We believe that combining Redvax’s assets with Pfizer’s commitment, expertise and resources will significantly enhance the potential of developing this important vaccine.”

Orphan drug deal

Pfizer has also gained exclusive rights to commercialise a long-acting, orphan drug human growth hormone (hGH-CTP) following an agreement with US pharma and diagnostics company Opko Health.

The deal, made in December, grants Opko $295m (€234m) upfront and a further possible $275m in milestone payments.

Opko’s hGH-CTP is a long-acting recombinant human growth hormone analogue. It is in clinical trials for the treatment of paediatric (Phase II) and adult (Phase III) growth hormone deficiency and could reduce dosing frequency from the current standard daily injection to a weekly jab.

The company has extended the hormone’s half-life using a natural peptide (C-terminal peptide of the beta chain of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)) instead of polymers, encapsulation techniques, or nanoparticles.