VIVALIS announcesthat they renewed the rights granted to sanofi-aventis to test the EB66 cell line for the production of monoclonal antibodies and extended it to the production of recombinant proteins

NANTES, FRANCE | October 27, 2009 | VIVALIS (NYSE Euronext Paris: VLS), a biopharmaceutical company that provides the pharmaceutical industry with innovative cell-based solutions for the manufacture of vaccines and proteins and develops drugs to prevent and treat viral diseases, announces today that they renewed the rights granted to sanofi-aventis to test the EB66 cell line for the production of monoclonal antibodies and extended it to the production of recombinant proteins.

Financial terms are not disclosed.

Franck Grimaud, CEO, and Majid Mehtali, CSO, co-managers of Vivalis said: "We are very pleased to renew and expand this agreement with sanofi-aventis. It represents a strong validation of the progress our scientific teams have realized in the second major domain of application of our cell lines. The latest results we have generated that have shown a pre-industrial productivity comfort us in the potential of our EB66� platform in the anti-body and therapeutic proteins fields. We aim at renewing, on this new market, the success we have obtained with our technology in vaccines."

About the EB66 line

The EB66 cell line, derived from duck embryonic stem cells, presents unique industrial and regulatory characteristics such as long-term genetic stability, immortality and cell growth to high cell densities in suspension in a serum-free medium (>20 millions cells/mL).

The BMF (Biologics Master File) for the registration of the EB66 cell line with the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) was filed on June 27, 2008.

The EB66 cell line is currently used or being tested by 75% of the major players in vaccines. VIVALIS has furthermore demonstrated that the EB66 cell line can be easily genetically modified, permitting the expression of recombinant proteins of potential interest. Moreover the glycosylation profile of monoclonal antibodies produced through EB66 cell lines is similar to the glycosylation profiles of human monoclonal antibodies with the added benefit of being distinguished by reduced fucose content. This latter characteristic is known to be associated with a higher level of antibody cytotoxic activity, particularly useful in the treatment of cancer cells.

About VIVALIS (www.vivalis.com)

VIVALIS (NYSE Euronext: VLS) is a biopharmaceutical company that provides innovative cell-based solutions to the pharmaceutical industry for the manufacture of vaccines and proteins, and develops drugs for the prevention and treatment of viral diseases. VIVALIS’ expertise and intellectual property are exploited in three main areas:

1. The development and manufacturing of vaccines. VIVALIS offers research and commercial licenses for its EB66 cell line, derived from duck stem cells, to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for the production of vaccines. Vivalis receives upfront fees, milestone payments and royalties on its licensees’ net sales.
2. The development of production systems for recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies. VIVALIS licenses its EB66 cell line for the production of recombinant proteins to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Vivalis receives upfront fees, milestone payments and royalties on its licensees’ net sales.
3. The construction of a portfolio of proprietary products in the area of vaccines and anti-viral molecules (hepatitis C).

Based in Nantes (France), VIVALIS was founded in 1999 by the Grimaud group (1,450 employees), the second largest group worldwide in animal genetic selection. Part of the stem cell technology originated from INRA, CNRS, ENS research VIVALIS has established more than 30 partnerships and licenses with world leaders in this sector, including Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, CSL Kaketsuken, Merial, Intervet, SAFC Biosciences. VIVALIS is a member of the French ATLANTIC BIOTHERAPIES bio-cluster.

SOURCE: VIVALIS