London, 20 February, 2007 – Lawyers in the London office of Morrison & Foerster advised long-term client Acambis Plc, on a strategic alliance with sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, for ChimeriVax™-JE, Acambis' single-dose vaccine against Japanese encephalitis (JE).

Under the agreement, Acambis has granted sanofi pasteur marketing, distribution and certain manufacturing rights to ChimeriVax-JE worldwide, excluding India and the Indian subcontinent where Acambis has an existing agreement with Bharat Biotech International Limited, and also excluding the US, for which sanofi pasteur has been granted an option.  Sanofi pasteur plans to introduce the new vaccine in Europe and throughout the Asia Pacific region, with particular focus on the large endemic countries, including Thailand and China.

The financial terms of the deal include royalties for Acambis, in addition to upfront and milestone payments of up to €30 million (c. £20m).

The Morrison & Foerster team included Julian Thurston, James Ryan and Paul Claydon.

Japanese encephalitis is a potentially devastating disease caused by a mosquito-borne flavivirus that affects the membranes around the brain.  According to the WHO, approximately 30,000 to 50,000 people suffer from JE annually, mainly in Asia.  ChimeriVax-JE is being developed to provide a safe, single-dose JE vaccine for travellers and those living in JE-endemic regions.