Valneva licenses EB66 to IAVI for preventive HIV vaccine

Biotech firm Valneva (Euronext: VLA), the company recently created through the merger of France's Vivalis and Austria's Intercell (The Pharma Letter May 14), says that it has licensed the use of its EB66 cell line to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) for the evaluation and development of a preventive HIV vaccine candidate in clinical trials.

Financial terms of this non-exclusive collaboration were not disclosed. If successful, the program could lead to a commercial license agreement, according to Valneva.

The agreement is a landmark in Valneva’s history, the company says, as it is the first time it has given dual rights to a non-profit organization to perform both research and clinical studies using its technology. Valneva has historically separated the two functions in its licensing agreements.