September 30, 2014
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NIH, FDA win award for meningitis vaccine licensing deal

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The technology transfer of a low-cost meningitis vaccine earned the NIH and FDA an award for the year’s most outstanding intellectual property licensing deal, according to a press release.

Along with PATH, an international nonprofit health innovation group, and the Serum Institute of India, the federal agencies will be presented with the Licensing Executives Society’s 2014 Deals of Distinction Award at the society’s 50th annual meeting from Oct. 5 to 8 in San Francisco. Since its launch in December 2010, MenAfriVac, the developed serogroup A meningitis vaccine, has been provided to more than 150 million people among 12 African countries. It has a low production cost and does not require constant refrigeration, making it ideal for remote or underdeveloped areas.

“The license and collaboration have turned out to be an interesting model for vaccine development to address public health needs in developing countries,” Mark L. Rohrbaugh, PhD, director of the NIH Office of Technology Transfer (NIH OTT), said in a press release. “The vaccine was tailored to a particular population, developed at a modest cost, and structured from the start with provisions to ensure sustainable access.”

The technology required to manufacture MenAfriVac was developed by researchers from the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. This was then licensed by the NIH OTT to PATH, which subsequently sublicensed the technology to the Serum Institute of India for production at a cost that African countries could afford.

“This deal stood out because it shows the true collaboration and teamwork of all parties involved,” Thierry Musy-Verdel, of the Licensing Executives Society’s Deals of Distinction Chair, said in a press release. “It also demonstrates that it is possible for research organizations, such as federal laboratories, to license their technologies to organizations other than traditional pharmaceutical and biotech companies and to successfully achieve commercialization and public utilization of their research.”