Daiichi Sankyo and UMN Pharma agree norovirus research collaboration

Daiichi Sankyo has allied with UMN Pharma on the development of a new vaccine for norovirus, a leading cause of infectious gastroenteritis.

Under the terms of the deal, UMN Pharma will provide Daiichi Sankyo with a recombinant norovirus antigen produced via a cell culture manufacturing method employing the Baculovirus Expression Vector System (BEVS) technology platform.

Daiichi Sankyo will then conduct basic research to determine the possibility to develop a norovirus VLP vaccine with a novel device, before the two companies discuss the possibility of further research if their studies so far have yielded positive results.

Additionally, UMN Pharma will provide Daiichi Sankyo with exclusive rights to its norovirus VLP antigen exclusively, as well as allowing it to negotiate exclusively for further partnership during the collaborative research agreement period.

This comes after Daiichi Sankyo made an undisclosed payment to its partner Pieris, after it achieved the third milestone for its lead programme by progressing an Anticalin drug candidate through a non-GLP toxicity study in non-human primates.