Oxford, UK – 9 June, 2020: Oxford Biomedica plc (LSE:Oxford Biomedica) (“Oxford Biomedica” or “the Group”), a leading gene and cell therapy group, has been informed by Sanofi that following completion of a company-wide portfolio review, Sanofi intends to return to Oxford Biomedica the rights to the following ophthalmology gene therapy programmes: SAR422459 for Stargardt disease and SAR421869 for Usher’s Syndrome type 1b. This follows the Group’s announcement in February 2019 that Sanofi had informed Oxford Biomedica that it intended to seek a new partner for these two programmes which were originally partnered by the Group to Sanofi back in 2009.
The timing of return of these programmes and operational details are yet to be determined. However when the rights to the two programmes are returned, the Group will undertake its own internal evaluation to determine the potential future for these programmes and decide whether to commit further resources to them.
Oxford Biomedica’s collaboration and licence agreement with Bioverativ (a Sanofi company), for the development and manufacturing of lentiviral vectors to treat haemophilia, remains unaffected by this announcement.
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Enquiries:
Oxford Biomedica plc
John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer, T: +44 (0)1865 783 000
Stuart Paynter, Chief Financial Officer, T: +44 (0)1865 783 000
Catherine Isted, Head of Corporate Development & IR, T: +44 (0)1865 954 161 / E: ir@oxb.com
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott/Matthew Neal, T: +44 (0)20 3709 570
About Oxford Biomedica
Oxford Biomedica (LSE:Oxford Biomedica) is a leading, fully integrated, gene and cell therapy group focused on developing life changing treatments for serious diseases. Oxford Biomedica and its subsidiaries (the “Group”) have built a sector leading lentiviral vector delivery platform (LentiVector®), which the Group leverages to develop in vivo and ex vivo products both in-house and with partners. The Group has created a valuable proprietary portfolio of gene and cell therapy product candidates in the areas of oncology, ophthalmology, CNS disorders, liver diseases and respiratory disease. The Group has also entered into a number of partnerships, including with Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Axovant Gene Therapies, Orchard Therapeutics, Santen, Boehringer Ingelheim, the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium and Imperial Innovations, through which it has long-term economic interests in other potential gene and cell therapy products. Oxford Biomedica is based across several locations in Oxfordshire, UK and employs more than 550 people. Further information is available at https://oxb.com/