GSK Grants LimmaTech Biologics License to Develop and Commercialize Shigella Vaccine

Schlieren (Zurich), 20 July 2023 – LimmaTech Biologics AG (“LimmaTech Bio”), a clinicalstage biotech company developing vaccines for the prevention of life-threatening diseases, signed an in-license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA (LSE/NYSE: GSK) enabling LimmaTech Bio to further develop and commercialize a quadrivalent bioconjugate vaccine candidate for shigellosis that GSK added to its infectious disease pipeline when LimmaTech Bio’s predecessor company, GlycoVaxyn, was acquired by GSK in 2015.

Shigellosis is a serious diarrheal infection and global health threat with a major impact in low- and middle-income countries where mortality and morbidity are high. The multivalent vaccine candidate being developed is composed of antigens from the four most epidemiologically relevant Shigella bacterial strains and is being tested in an ongoing Phase I/II dose-finding and age-descending (adults-children-infants) double-blind study to evaluate its safety and immunogenicity in the 9-month-old infants target population.

“LimmaTech Bio has remained committed to developing our Shigella vaccine candidate and this agreement with GSK has its roots in our successful ongoing partnerships with them. We have been a part of the Shigella vaccine program’s journey together with GSK and the Wellcome Trust and the agreement recognizes and validates our in-house expertise in vaccine development as well as our capabilities to move the program forward rapidly,” said Patricia Martin, PhD, Managing Director and Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at LimmaTech Bio. “Based on the promising results of the monovalent version, we are looking forward to the data from the 4-valent form of the vaccine, which we expect in 2023. It is now more than ever critical to have a vaccine against a pathogen that is increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics and represents a high unmet need, especially in young children.”

LimmaTech Bio is an independently owned Swiss biotechnology company that spun out from GlycoVaxyn after its acquisition by GSK in 2015. LimmaTech Bio signed a research collaboration agreement with GSK to develop novel bioconjugate antigen-based vaccines including a monovalent Shigella vaccine in cooperation with the Wellcome Trust. Following positive results from the proof-of-concept human challenge clinical trial with the monovalent Shigella vaccine, LimmaTech initiated the development of a multivalent Shigella vaccine in 2018 with a Wellcome Trust grant received by GSK for the new program. The results from the Phase I/II study with this multivalent vaccine are expected in 2023. A positive outcome for safety and immunogenicity will support the further development of the vaccine with pivotal efficacy trials in the target pediatric population as well as travelers and military personnel traveling to Shigella endemic countries.