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 November 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:
Re Agreement
Acambis joins forces with Bharat Biotech to address unmet need for JE vaccine in
India
Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts - 8 November 2005 - Acambis plc
("Acambis") (LSE: ACM, NASDAQ: ACAM) announces that it has established a
manufacturing and marketing agreement with Bharat Biotech International Limited
("Bharat Biotech") of India relating to Acambis' ChimeriVax-JE investigational
vaccine against Japanese encephalitis ("JE").
JE, a virus transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, is the leading cause of
childhood encephalitis and viral encephalitis in Asia. Currently, an epidemic is
affecting areas of northern India and Nepal, where more than 1,000 people have
died since July, most of them children. Every year, there are an estimated
30,000 to 50,000 cases of JE, approximately 25-30% of which are fatal; a high
proportion of survivors are left with serious neurological impairment1.
Despite the availability of first-generation JE vaccines for 60 years, the virus
continues to cause death and disease. As a result of this significant unmet
public health need and in the absence of a safe, single-dose vaccine, both the
World Health Organization's Initiative for Vaccine Research and the Gates
Foundation have identified a need for development of a second-generation,
affordable JE vaccine that has an acceptable safety profile and requires fewer
doses than currently available vaccines.
The introduction of a single-dose vaccine could potentially transform the use of
vaccines against JE by making it simpler, faster, easier and cheaper for
healthcare providers to administer, particularly in regions where achieving
compliance to multi-dose regimens can be difficult.
Acambis is preparing to commence pivotal Phase lll trials of a single-dose
regimen of its ChimeriVax-JE vaccine candidate before the end of 2005, having
completed Phase ll clinical testing. Current JE vaccines are administered in
multiple doses.
Under the agreement announced today, Bharat Biotech will be responsible for
end-stage fill/finish processing of ChimeriVax-JE at its facilities in India
and, once ChimeriVax-JE is approved, will market and distribute the vaccine in
India and neighbouring countries. Bulk vaccine will continue to be manufactured
at Acambis' Canton, Massachusetts facility, where material for Phase lll testing
has already been produced following technology transfer and scale-up to
commercial scale manufacture.
Bharat Biotech is one of India's leading biotechnology companies. Based in
Hyderabad, it manufactures and sells a polysaccharide typhoid vaccine (launched
in 2003) and a recombinant vaccine for Hepatitis B (launched in 1998), which is
also sold in Latin America and Africa. Both were developed in-house. Bharat
Biotech's manufacturing plant is the largest in the Asia-Pacific region and it
has an established sales force and distribution network serving the Indian
subcontinent.
Gordon Cameron, Chief Executive Officer of Acambis, said:
"The scale of the current epidemic in India has highlighted the critical need
for a safe, efficacious and cost-effective vaccine against JE. We believe that
the forthcoming Phase III trials of ChimeriVax-JE will demonstrate our vaccine
can meet that need and Bharat Biotech is the ideal partner to help us maximise
ChimeriVax-JE's reach in India and neighbouring countries. This collaboration is
part of our strategy to establish ChimeriVax-JE as the optimum vaccine in
endemic countries and l look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with
Bharat Biotech."
Dr Krishna M. Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech
International Ltd, said:
"It is Bharat Biotech's endeavour to provide vaccines based on the most
up-to-date technology platforms and of the highest quality to people living in
developing countries. We aim to market vaccines that are affordable to the
common man and yet manufactured under the globally-recognised Good Manufacturing
Practices. We are already manufacturing vaccines against Hepatitis B and
typhoid, and vaccines against rotavirus and malaria are also in development.
This partnership with Acambis will enable us to bring a much-needed and improved
JE vaccine to children in the Indian subcontinent, a region currently suffering
from an epidemic that has so far killed over 1,000 children."
-ends-
References
1. WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research (www.who.int)
Enquiries:
Acambis plc
Gordon Cameron, Chief Executive Officer
David Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer
Lyndsay Wright, VP, Communications and IR
Tel +44 (0) 1223 275 300
Financial Dynamics
David Yates/Davina Langdale: Tel +44 (0) 20 7831 3113
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.
"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 "Risk factors" in its 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.
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: 08 November 2005 ACAMBIS PLC
By: /s/ Lyndsay Wright
Name: Lyndsay Wright
Title: VP, Communications and IR.