CureVac Extends Global Intellectual Property Estate for Prophylactic mRNA Vaccines

TÜBINGEN, Germany, June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CureVac AG, a fully-integrated biotechnology company pioneering mRNA based drugs, today announced it has been granted important patents claiming the use of mRNA-based prophylactic vaccines, significantly adding to the Company's intellectual property (IP) position for its RNActive^® Prophylactic Vaccine technology. The IP includes patents granted in the USA and Europe covering mRNA vaccines against Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as patents regarding the vaccination of elderly and newborns/infants with mRNA vaccines.

Ingmar Hoerr, PhD, co-founder and CEO of CureVac, stated, "The expansion of our prophylactic vaccine IP portfolio in the USA and Europe is another important milestone for CureVac as we seek to rapidly advance our RNActive^® Prophylactic Vaccine pipeline and progress towards bringing the first potent mRNA vaccine to the market.  Momentum within the mRNA space continues to accelerate as the pharma and biotech industries recognize the enormous potential of mRNA-based prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases, oncology and other therapeutic applications. In November 2013, we successfully treated the first healthy volunteer in a first-ever human clinical prophylactic vaccine study, which signaled an important milestone for innovation in the development of mRNA-based therapies. These new patents amplify CureVac's leadership position and highlight the strength of our mRNA vaccine product portfolio."

In total, CureVac holds a broad IP portfolio comprising more than 100 patent families covering different aspects of its mRNA platform enabling the use and production of mRNA across a wide range of treatment modalities and disease indications.

CureVac's new intellectual property includes:

• U.S. Patent No. 9688729: This method of treatment patent claims the use of mRNA sequences, encoding the most prominent antigen of RSV, which is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections and hospital visits during infancy and childhood and also a significant cause of respiratory illness in older adults.
• U.S. Patent No. 9623095 / European Patent No. 2680880: These method of treatment patents cover the vaccination of newborns/infants with mRNA encoding an antigen of a pathogen, particularly of Influenza Virus.
• European Patent No. 2680881: This method of treatment patent covers the vaccination of elderly with mRNA encoding an antigen of a pathogen, particularly of Influenza Virus.

About CureVac AG
Founded in 2000 as a spin-off from the University of Tϋbingen in Germany, CureVac is a leading company in the field of mRNA technology and was the first company to start clinical trials on mRNA based drugs. The biopharmaceutical company has more than 17 years of expertise in handling and optimizing this versatile molecule for medical purposes.

The basic principle of CureVac's proprietary technology is the use of mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce its own proteins capable of fighting a wide range of diseases. The company applies its technologies for the development of cancer therapies, prophylactic vaccines and molecular therapies.

Since its inception, strongly backed by SAP founder Dietmar Hopp's dievini CureVac has received approximately $370 million (€355 million) in equity investments including an investment of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of $ 52million in 2015. CureVac has entered into various collaborations with multinational corporations and organizations, including agreements with Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi Pasteur, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and IAVI.

In 2006, CureVac successfully established the first GMP facility worldwide for the manufacturing of mRNA. In 2016 CureVac started the establishment and construction of industrial scale production facilities.

For more information, please visit www.curevac.com

Media Contacts

Verena Lauterbach, Senior Manager Communications
CureVac AG, Tübingen, Germany
T: +49 (0) 7071 9883 1756
[email protected]

Andrew Mielach, Vice President
Tiberend Strategic Advisors, New York
T: +1 212 375 2694
[email protected]

SOURCE CureVac AG

Related Links

http://www.curevac.com