iBio Obtains New IP Protection in China

NEWARK, Del., May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- iBio, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IBIO) today announced that a patent to increase influenza vaccine performance through the use of iBio's proprietary iBioModulator fusion protein technology has been allowed in China. The patent, which will issue from Chinese patent application No.: 200780008098.3, will further broaden the territories in which patent exclusivity has been secured for this novel technology.  In the U.S., the technology is covered by issued U.S. Patent 8,124,103, entitled "Influenza Antigen, Vaccine Compositions, and Related Methods."

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"China, by virtue of the scale of its rapidly-emerging domestic market and need for new biopharmaceutical technology infrastructure to address influenza and other emerging infectious disease threats, is a target market for us," said Robert Erwin, President of iBio.  "This new intellectual property protection will further facilitate our ability to license our technology for the Chinese market."

The vaccine industry is increasingly focused on the development of recombinant vaccines instead of attenuated, live virus vaccines. These recombinant vaccines commonly require use of components called adjuvants to improve their efficacy. Lichenase protein, when fused to antigens through the use of the iBioModulator technology, acts as an adjuvant and can enhance duration of an immune response, improve production economies and increase product stability in comparison to conventional adjuvant-antigen combinations. Previously published data demonstrated significant improvement in candidate vaccine efficacy in animal models when iBioModulator technology was employed with a range of target antigens, including antigens from plague, malaria, and human papilloma virus.

The iBioModulator platform has been shown to significantly modify the immune response to a vaccine in two important ways. It increases the strength of the initial immune response to a vaccine antigen (as measured by antibody titer). It also extends the duration of the immune response. These results demonstrate that the use of the iBioModulator platform can lower vaccine antigen requirements and enable fewer doses to establish prolonged immunity. The ability to provide better immune responses and longer-term protection without booster inoculations adds significant value to a vaccine, particularly for use in a market such as China, by reducing the overall costs and logistical difficulties of its use while effectively reaching a higher proportion of the target population.

About iBio, Inc.

iBio develops and offers product applications of its iBioLaunch and iBioModulator™ platforms, providing collaborators full support for turn-key implementation of its technology for both proprietary and biosimilar products. Additionally, iBio is developing select product candidates that have been derived from the iBioLaunch platform.  The iBioLaunch platform is a proprietary, transformative technology for development and production of biologics using transient gene expression in unmodified green plants.  The iBioModulator platform is complementary to the iBioLaunch platform and is designed to significantly improve vaccine products with both higher potency and greater duration of effect.  The iBioModulator platform can be used with any recombinant expression technology for vaccine development and production. Further information is available at: www.ibioinc.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

STATEMENTS INCLUDED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE RELATED TO IBIO, INC. MAY CONSTITUTE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. SUCH STATEMENTS INVOLVE A NUMBER OF RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES SUCH AS COMPETITIVE FACTORS, TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT, MARKET DEMAND, AND THE COMPANY'S ABILITY TO OBTAIN NEW CONTRACTS AND ACCURATELY ESTIMATE NET REVENUES DUE TO VARIABILITY IN SIZE, SCOPE AND DURATION OF PROJECTS. FURTHER INFORMATION ON POTENTIAL RISK FACTORS THAT COULD AFFECT THE COMPANY'S FINANCIAL RESULTS CAN BE FOUND IN THE COMPANY'S REPORTS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION. 

Contacts

Robert Erwin,
President
302-355-2335
[email protected]       

SOURCE iBio, Inc.