Intercell

Intercell AG was an Austrian biotechnology company with headquarters in Vienna, which was dedicated to the development of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against infectious diseases. Intercell collaborated with the pharmaceutical company Novartis, Merck & Co., Inc. or Sanofi-Aventis. On 28 May 2013, the company merged with the French Vivalis SA at a company with the company name Valneva SE.

History

The company was founded in 1997 as an offshoot of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology at the Campus Vienna Biocenter in Vienna.

Until 2004, the financing through venture capital, since February 28, 2005 Intercell is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. In June 2006 there was a capital, which the company is fully funded up to the planned 2008 achieving the breakeven point.

Beginning of December 2008 was amended a contract between Intercell USA, and the Ministry of Health of the United States, according to to send Intercell further payments to the development of immunostimulatory patch against pandemic flu. In May 2009, the corresponding phase II study was started in the USA.

Mid-December 2008, Intercell received initially by the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee and shortly thereafter by the Committee for Human Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency positive opinions on the approval of the vaccine against Japanese encephalitis (trade name: Ixiaro ®), which led to a further milestone payment of major shareholder and co-operation partner Novartis. Since April 2009, the drug in the U.S. and Europe is approved. End of March 2009 joined Intercell a multi-year exclusive contract with the U.S. Department of Defense for the purchase of IXIARO ® from.

On 5 April 2010, the company bought from the Cytos Biotechnology Ltd.. a technology platform for the identification of monoclonal antibodies for 15 million euros. The technology is based on expression of monoclonal antibodies from human B- cells and enables the identification of anti-infective antibodies to prevent and treat infectious diseases.

In May 2013 merged with the French company Intercell Vivalis SA, the new company is now called Valneva SE.

Awards

In December 2008, the World Economic Forum Intercell appointed the first Austrian company as a Technology Pioneer 2009. Also in December 2008, Intercell received in London the Scrip Award for Biotech Company of the Year.

Products

Ixiaro ®: against Japanese encephalitis, is the first and only vaccine on the market of the company.

Projects

Current projects by Intercell, which are at least in the Phase II study are:

A candidate vaccine against Pseudomonas: Intercell and its partner Novartis preparing to initiate a Phase II / III trial in early 2012.
A therapeutic vaccine against hepatitis C
A prophylactic, recombinant subunit vaccine against the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, which consists of three highly conserved proteins, and for the February 11, 2010 the first positive results of a phase I trial have been published.
Developed a vaccine against tuberculosis, together with the Danish Statens Serum Institut ( SSI) and Sanofi Pasteur.
A vaccine patch against Pandemic Influenza

To develop these and other planned vaccines Intercell uses a proprietary Antigen Identification Program and own adjuvant technologies.

Known aborted projects are:

Vaccine candidate against Staphylococcus aureus: Merck & Intercell have announced the discontinuation of the clinical phase II / III study of the investigational vaccine for the prevention of Staphylococcus aureus, announced in June. After a detailed analysis of the data from the clinical Phase II / III study, recommended the independent " Data Monitoring Committee " unanimously recommended the termination of the study.
A vaccine patch against traveler's diarrhea. The results of the phase II trial were published in 2008 in The Lancet, which was prevented by the influenza pandemic of 2009 ( the so-called "swine flu" ) in Mexico for the summer of 2009 scheduled start of the Phase III study. In December 2010, the company announced not to pursue the project due to unfulfilled effectiveness studies. The flop cost the company up to 183 million euros.

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