Pepscan closes vaccines deal with Crucell; Update on J&J takeover

Privately-held Dutch biotechnology firm Pepscan Therapeutics, which focuses on protein mimicry technology, has signed a research and license agreement with fellow Netherlands-based vaccines company Crucell, which is the subject of a $2.29 billion takeover by US health care giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ).

In the research collaboration, Crucell will make use of Pepscan's proprietary technology and know-how in its program for developing undisclosed novel vaccines to combat infectious diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, Pepscan will receive research funding and could be eligible for payments on the achievement by Crucell of research and clinical milestones, as well as royalties on sales of products resulting from the collaboration. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

"We are very pleased to collaborate with Crucell, since we strongly believe that Pepscan's CLIPS technology combined with Crucell's expertise in vaccine development will yield breakthrough products", said Wim Mol, chief executive of Pepscan. "We are convinced that Pepscan's state-of-the-art epitope mapping technology as well as our expertise in creating conformationally stabilized CLIPS peptides will greatly contribute to the development of novel vaccines. Together with our two recent R&D collaboration and licensing agreements with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals and Mercator Therapeutics, we consider this new agreement a further expression of our leadership position in lead finding and optimization of peptide drugs," he added.