Biological E enters licensing pact with Canada firm Providence Therapeutics for mRNA vaccine

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Vaccine maker Biological E (BE) on June 1 said it has entered into an agreement with Canadian biotech Providence Therapeutics Holdings for the licensing and collaboration to develop, manufacture and distribute latter's mRNA vaccine - PTX-COVID19-B in India and other countries.

As part of the agreement, BE  will conduct pivotal trial and seek emergency use authorisation in India and other jurisdictions. Providence will provide the necessary technology transfer for BE to manufacture mRNA vaccines in India, with a minimum production capacity of 600 million doses in 2022 and a target capacity of 1 billion doses.

Providence will also export 30 million doses from existing North American capacity to Biological E and other end-buyers.

The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

“The mRNA platform has emerged as the front runner in delivering the first vaccines for emergency use to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Biological E. is very pleased to be able to work with Providence on its promising mRNA vaccine candidate. We hope to provide India and other countries yet another option to ramp up their efforts towards achieving herd immunity against COVID-19,” said Mahima Datla, Managing Director of Biological E Limited.

“This initiative is an important commitment by a Canada-based company to help India and other nations vaccinate their citizens against COVID-19,”  said Brad Sorenson, CEO of Providence.

BE has contract manufacturing partnership with Johnson & Johnson single dose viral vector vaccine. The company is also developing a protein subunit vaccine in-licensed from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) - Texas. BE is said to have capacities to produce up to 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Please read here about BE and its plans for COVID-19 vaccines.

Biological E would be the second company to foray into mRNA vaccine in India. Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, which is backed by drug maker Emcure, is also developing an mRNA vaccine, which is in Phase 1/2 trials.

Providence which is into mRNA therapeutics and vaccines has operations in Calgary, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario.

In response to a worldwide need for a COVID-19 vaccine, Providence expanded its focus beyond oncology therapies and devoted its energy and resources to develop an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Providence said it is focused on serving the needs of Canada, and other countries that may be underserved by large pharmaceutical programs.