Takeda and Nanotherapeutics agree new vaccine production deal

Takeda has announced a new collaboration with Nanotherapeutics that will enhance its vaccine development and production capabilities.

The deal will provide Takeda with expanded commercialisation and technology access rights related to Nanotherapeutics' Vero cell technology platform – a cell culture-based platform for vaccine production which Nanotherapeutics acquired from Baxalta.

In 2010, Takeda licensed certain exclusive rights to this technology from Baxter, Baxalta's former parent company, for the development of pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines for the Japanese market.

This new agreement ends Takeda's remaining financial obligations under the initial agreement with Baxter, while giving the firm the right to commercialise its pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine products outside of Japan and in fields other than influenza.

Dr Rajeev Venkayya, president of Takeda's vaccine business unit, said: "Today's agreement reinforces Takeda's commitment to its global vaccine business and our goal of reaching as many people as possible with vaccines that address important unmet needs in global public health."

Takeda's cell culture-based H5N1 and prototype vaccine for pandemic influenza was developed on this platform, and was approved in Japan in March 2014. The firm is currently developing a cell-based seasonal flu vaccine based on the same technology.