Amyris Announces JV Partnership With ImmunityBio For Next Generation COVID-19 RNA Vaccine

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Nov 08, 2021, 08:00 ET

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), a leading synthetic biotechnology company accelerating the world to sustainable consumption through its Lab-to-Market^TM operating platform, today announced it has entered into a 50:50 joint venture arrangement with ImmunityBio, Inc. (Nasdaq: IBRX), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company, to accelerate the commercialization of a leading next-generation COVID-19 vaccine.

The parties have signed a binding term sheet, and a definitive agreement is in process and is expected to be executed within the next month pending standard closing conditions.

ImmunityBio has invested significantly in developing world leading DNA and RNA vaccine production capacity and will be responsible for the manufacturing of the vaccine once human trials are successfully completed in South Africa. Amyris will contribute its world leading next-generation RNA technology licensed from the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI). Amyris will also provide sustainable squalene, an organic compound used to produce the vaccine.

Upon completion of successful human trials, the joint-venture's goal is to deliver one billion doses of the new vaccine in 2022 addressing the unmet needs of access to vaccines in developing countries and other regions of the world, addressing cold-chain and durability challenges facing the world today.

"The opportunity to expand our vaccine technology platform is exciting and important in order to address pandemic preparedness," said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Global Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and Executive Chairman of ImmunityBio. "We look forward to the rapid clinical development of this next-generation vaccine of self-amplifying RNA which could reduce the dose needed and address supply chain shortages."

"We are very pleased to partner with Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and his team at ImmunityBio," said John Melo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amyris. "This is a team that clearly understands the need for RNA infrastructure and made a bet early. The combination of the ImmunityBio manufacturing platform and our RNA technology can be the real difference maker for COVID-19. Our mission is to have a vaccine that is accessible to all people in the world and one that delivers the highest level of efficacy without the cold chain supply chain requirements. The early data is very promising and leads us to believe this will be the first and best performing second generation COVID-19 vaccine. The world needs a real sustainable solution for COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases that are likely to face us in the future. The pandemic is far from over for many people and we are committed to making a real difference."

About Amyris
Amyris (Nasdaq: AMRS) is a leading synthetic biotechnology company, transitioning the Clean Health & Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances markets to sustainable ingredients through fermentation and the company's proprietary Lab-to-Market^TM operating platform. This Amyris platform leverages state-of-the-art machine learning, robotics and artificial intelligence, enabling the company to rapidly bring new innovation to market at commercial scale. Amyris ingredients are included in over 20,000 products from the world's top brands, reaching more than 300 million consumers. Amyris also owns and operates a family of consumer brands that is constantly evolving to meet the growing demand for sustainable, effective and accessible products. For more information, please visit http://www.amyris.com.

Amyris, the Amyris logo and Lab-to-Market are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amyris, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, and any statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding future events, such as Amyris' expectation that its joint venture with ImmunityBio will accelerate commercialization of a leading next-generation COVID-19 vaccine; the goal of achieving access to one billion doses of a new COVID-19 vaccine for delivery in 2022 with availability targeted to the most critical global needs in developing countries; the goal of overcoming access, cold-chain and durability challenges related to existing vaccines; Amyris' expectation of rapid clinical development of this RNA vaccine to reduce dosing and supply chain issues; the goal of delivering a vaccine with the highest level of efficacy to become the first and best performing second generation COVID-19 vaccine so that it can be a difference maker for the COVID-19 pandemic. These statements are based on management's current expectations and actual results and future events may differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including risks related to Amyris' liquidity and ability to fund operating and capital expenses, risks related to its financing activities, risks related to potential delays or failures in completing and integrating planned acquisitions, risks related to potential delays or failures in development, regulatory approval, launch, production and commercialization of products, risks related to Amyris' reliance on third parties particularly in the supply chain, and other risks detailed from time to time in filings Amyris makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Amyris disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Amyris, Inc.