July 2015 saw the start of a Phase II clinical study in South Africa – a tuberculosis hot spot. For the first time, infants exposed to HIV received the new vaccine VPM1002, which originated at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology and is being jointly developed with the Vakzine Projekt Management GmbH (VPM) and the Serum Institute of India (SII). The results of previous studies have consistently shown that VPM1002 is significantly more effective and safer than the conventional BCG vaccine that has been in use for around 100 years.
The vaccine offers new hope for infants with congenital immunodeficiency, but also for adults the world over. According to the WHO, more than 9 million people become infected with tuberculosis per year, and over 4,000 die from the disease every day. In 2008, Ascenion acquired 70% of shares in VPM, which was spun off from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, and continues to advise the company on numerous strategic and IP-relevant issues. For example, Ascenion actively supported the licencing agreement with the developing partner SII in 2013.
(Annual Review 2015)
