Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

This exclusive global collabo ration agreement with Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, for ChimeriVax™West Nile follows a £20m deal between the two announced earlier this year for Acambis' Japanese Encephalitis vaccine.

Acambis will receive an upfront payment of $10m (£4.8m) in 2007 and would be eligible for pre and post-marketing milestone payments of up to $70m (£33.9m) based on product approval and sales in the US market.

It would also be entitled to receive development funding and royalties on net sales of the vaccine.

In addition, if the vaccine were registered in other countries, Acambis would be entitled to further post-marketing milestone payments and royalties.

Acambis is currently conducting a Phase 2 trial of ChimeriVax-West Nile and will continue to perform development activities, up to and including the filing of a licence application in the US.

CEO Ian Garland said: "We intend to be the first to bring a West Nile virus vaccine to market."

Most West Nile infections are mild. The symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph glands.

However, up to 15 per cent of infections progress into a more severe illness called West Nile encephalitis.

This is characterised by headaches, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis, coma and, in the most extreme cases, death.