FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13s - 16 or 15d - 16 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the month of August, 2005
Acambis plc
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
Peterhouse Technology Park
100 Fulbourn Road
Cambridge CB1 9PT
England
(address of principal executive offices)
(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F
Forms 20-F X Form 40-F
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934).
Yes No X
(if "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant
in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82- ).
Enclosure:
Research Update
Acambis enters flu vaccine arena with launch of flu vaccine development
programme
New influenza vaccine candidate potentially offers permanent protection by
overcoming mutations in influenza strains
Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts - 4 August 2005 - Acambis plc
("Acambis") (LSE: ACM, NASDAQ: ACAM) has commenced development of a potentially
breakthrough new influenza vaccine that could offer permanent protection against
influenza and may also offer protection against influenza pandemics. Influenza
vaccines are currently administered annually.
Acambis has entered into a research collaboration and licensing agreement with
the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology ("VIB"), a Belgian
research institute.
Acambis and VIB will work together to develop a vaccine against both A and B
strains of influenza, using Acambis' influenza A vaccine candidate that it
acquired from Apovia earlier in the year and additional technology licensed from
VIB. Apovia is a US biotechnology company and started development of the
influenza A vaccine candidate in 2000, having originally licensed the technology
from VIB. Walter Fiers, emeritus professor of Molecular Biology at the
University of Ghent, is an inventor of the patent rights licensed from VIB.
The aim of the research collaboration would be to generate a 'universal' vaccine
candidate that would protect against both A and B strains of influenza and, more
importantly, would not require annual changes to the formulation. This contrasts
with current influenza vaccines that need to be changed, generally each year, to
cope with genetic drift, mutations that occur in influenza strains circulating
in nature, as well as major genetic shifts that can result in influenza
pandemics. The need to change vaccine formulations each year results in delays
in initiating vaccine coverage.
A major component of the new candidates will be M2e, the extracellular domain of
the ion channel protein M2, which is specific to influenza A. Being highly
conserved, M2e is intended to elicit protective immune responses against all
strains of influenza A. M2e is incorporated in a unique carrier system that
forms highly immunogenic virus-like particles.
The initial vaccine candidate against influenza A is currently in pre-clinical
development. It is manufactured using recombinant bacterial fermentation
technology, which aims to provide time and cost efficiencies compared with
traditional egg-based production methods.
Dr Thomas Monath, Acambis' Chief Scientific Officer, commented:
"The research collaboration with VIB using Acambis' influenza A vaccine
candidate will enable Acambis to develop a vaccine that could protect against
all influenza strains. By targeting both A and B strains, we aim to avoid the
need for annual re-engineering and manufacture of the new product, something
that is not yet possible with existing vaccines. The need to develop a new
vaccine each time a different influenza strain emerges often results in long
delays before a population can be protected. The technology also has special
importance as a potential means of protecting human populations against pandemic
influenza strains."
Gordon Cameron, Chief Executive Officer, said:
"This programme gives Acambis the opportunity to enter one of the most
significant vaccine markets - influenza. The recent influenza vaccine shortages
have highlighted the inadequacies of current influenza vaccines and their
manufacturing methods. Through our influenza A vaccine candidate, we aim to
improve protection against influenza A and to ensure a ready supply of vaccine.
The VIB collaboration gives us the opportunity to develop the ultimate influenza
vaccine that will protect against all strains of influenza, reduces the need for
annual vaccine re-engineering and can be produced using scalable cell
culture-based manufacturing methods."
Walter Fiers, Professor emeritus, University of Ghent and VIB, said:
"The research and pre-clinical development carried out so far supports the
promising potential of a universal, M2e-based influenza vaccine. In view of the
conservation of the M2e structure, vaccination against all human influenza virus
strains may become possible, even before new epidemics or pandemics have started
to spread. Moreover, the vaccine is a recombinant protein with a defined
chemical structure which can be rigorously characterised and produced on a large
scale. We are pleased to collaborate with Acambis in the further development of
this promising vaccine."
Enquiries:
Acambis plc
Gordon Cameron, Chief Executive Officer: Tel +1 (617) 761 4200
David Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer: Tel: +44 (0) 1223 275 300
Lyndsay Wright, VP, Communications and
Investor Relations: Tel +44 (0) 1223 275 300
Financial Dynamics
David Yates/Lucy Briggs: Tel +44 (0) 20 7831 3113
VIB vzw
Karine Clauwaert, Licensing Manager: Tel +32 9 2446611
Walter Fiers, Prof. em.: +32 9 331 36 20
Ann Van Gysel, Communications Manager: Tel: +32 9 244 66 11
About Acambis
Acambis is a leading developer of vaccines to prevent and treat infectious
diseases. Recognised internationally as the leading producer of smallpox
vaccines, Acambis is developing an investigational smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000,
and is manufacturing emergency-use stockpiles of this investigational vaccine
for the US Government and other governments around the world. It is also
developing an attenuated smallpox vaccine, MVA3000, under contracts with the US
National Institutes of Health. Acambis is establishing a travel vaccines
franchise through its US-based subsidiary Berna Products Corporation, which
markets Vivotif(R), the world's only licensed oral typhoid vaccine, in North
America. Acambis has other potential travel vaccines in development and is also
developing an investigational vaccine against the West Nile virus, which has
spread to 48 US States in the last six years.
Acambis is based in Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. Its primary
listing is on the London Stock Exchange (ACM) and its shares are listed in the
form of American Depositary Receipts on NASDAQ (ACAM). More information is
available at www.acambis.com.
About VIB
VIB, the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, is a research
institute where 850 scientists conduct gene-technology research in life-science
areas such as human health care and plant systems biology. Through a joint
venture with four Flemish universities (Ghent University, the Catholic
University of Leuven, the University of Antwerp and the Free University of
Brussels) and a solid funding program for strategic basic research, VIB unites
the forces of nine university science departments in a single institute. Through
its technology transfer activities, VIB strives to convert the research results
into products for the benefit of consumers and patients. VIB also distributes
scientifically-substantiated information about all aspects of the biotechnology
to a broad public. More information is available at www.vib.be.
About influenza
Influenza is the most important human respiratory viral disease. Influenza virus
typically infects 10-20% of the total worldwide population during seasonal
epidemics, resulting in three to five million cases of severe illness and
250,000 to 500,000 deaths per year(1). In the US, influenza kills an average of
36,000(2) people per year, while an average of 114,000 influenza-related
hospitalisations result in an estimated annual economic cost of $12 billion(3).
Moreover, totally novel influenza strains appear occasionally in the human
population, causing pandemics. The death toll of the 1917-1920 Spanish Flu
pandemic resulted in over 50 million deaths worldwide(4), and the danger of a
new influenza pandemic is always present. The total production of influenza
vaccine is about 250,000 doses(5). Nearly all these vaccines are trivalent,
protecting against three virus strains predicted as most likely to cause the
next epidemic. The selection of these strains is made annually by the World
Health Organization.
"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995:
The statements in this news release that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the
timing and results of clinical trials, product development, manufacturing and
commercialisation risks, the risks of satisfying the regulatory approval process
in a timely manner, the need for and the availability of additional capital. For
a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties see "Risk management" in
the Company's 2004 Annual Report and 2004 Form 20-F, in addition to those
detailed on the Company's website and in the Company's filings made with the
Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These forward-looking
statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the management of
Acambis and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently uncertain and
difficult to predict. Actual results or experience could differ materially from
the forward-looking statements.
--------------------------
(1) Anonymous, WHO-CSR, Update 94, July 3 2003 (http://www.who.int/csr/don/
2003_07_03).
(2) Poland, G.A., Rottinghaus, S.T., Jacobson, R.M., 2001. Influenza vaccines: a
review and rationale for use in developed and underdeveloped countries. Vaccine
19, 2216-2220.
(3) http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/diagnosis/
(4) Johnson, N.P., Mueller, J., 2002. Updating the accounts: global mortality of
the 1918- 1920 ''Spanish'' influenza pandemic. Bull Hist Med. 6, 105- 115.
(5) Gerdil, C. The annual production cycle for influenza vaccine. Vaccine. 2003
May 1; 21(16):1776-9.
END
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant Peptide Therapeutics Group has duly caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: 4 August, 2005 ACAMBIS PLC
By: /s/ Lyndsay Wright
Name: Lyndsay Wright
Title: Director of Communications