Astellas and ClearPath agree vaccines alliance

Astellas has announced a new vaccines-oriented strategic collaboration with ClearPath Development Company.

The partnership will involve the formation of a portfolio of development companies focused on vaccines targeting infectious diseases, with the aim of supporting Astellas' goal of building a global vaccine franchise.

RSV Corporation, which was launched last month, is the first company to be created under this alliance. Astellas will fund its development of a virosome vaccine technology licensed from Mymetics Corporation for respiratory syncytial virus, in return for future commercialisation rights.

The collaboration will leverage Astellas' financial backing and commercial experience in combination with ClearPath's proven development expertise.

Kenji Yasukawa, senior vice-president and chief strategy officer at Astellas, said: "This partnership highlights our commitment to build a global vaccine business and represents a highly efficient model for bringing innovative vaccines to market."

This comes after Astellas recently announced a new outsourcing agreement with multinational consultancy group Accenture as part of wider efforts to enhance business efficiency.