Neovacs, a biotechnology company developing proprietary immunotherapies for autoimmune and chronic diseases, today announced that research recently published in Arthritis Research & Therapy has demonstrated the efficacy of the company’s TNFα Kinoid in a transgenic mouse model of arthritis.

Neovacs today announced the initiation of a Phase IIa clinical study of its TNFα Kinoid immunotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients who have ceased to respond to an anti-TNFα monoclonal antibody and who test positive for anti-drug antibodies (ADAs).

Neovacs today released a summary of the presentation made by Chief Medical Officer Pierre Vandepapeliere at the GASTRO 2009 conference in London, UK.

Neovacs, today announced that its Chief Medical Officer Pierre Vandepapeliere will present preliminary data from the ongoing Phase I/II trial of TNFα Kinoid in Crohn’s disease patients at the GASTRO 2009 conference (to be held on November 21st to 25th in London).
Dr Vandepapeliere’s oral presentation entitled “Therapeutic immunization against TNFα with a TNFα-Kinoid in Crohn’s disease patients is safe and induces anti-TNFα antibodies” will be made at 9.50 am on Wednesday, november 25th, as part of the session on “Anti‐TNFα therapies in IBD: current to future”.

Neovacs today released a summary of preclinical results achieved with its Interferon alpha (IFNα) Kinoid immunotherapy for lupus, as presented in a poster at the ACR/ARHP 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting (October 17th‐21st in Philadelphia).
The experimental results, summarized in a poster entitled “Active immunization with IFNα Kinoid induces polyclonal antibodies that neutralize IFNα from systemic lupus erythematosus patients” are strongly supportive of both the efficacy and safety of the approach..

Neovacs today announced that two posters on pre-clinical results achieved with its Kinoid immunotherapy technology in different applications will be presented at the ACR/ARHP 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting (October 17th-21st in Philadelphia).
Both poster presentations are part of the morning session on Monday, October 19th, in Hall D of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Neovacs today released a summary of the results achieved with its VEGF Kinoid in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as presented recently at the EVER (European Association for Vision and Eye Research) annual conference. In an established mouse model of choroidal neovascularization, animals receiving the VEGF Kinoid by intramuscular injection mounted a neutralizing antibody response to VEGF. Animals treated with the Kinoid showed a significant reduction in neovascularization as compared to a control group. Animals receiving the Kinoid immunotherapy showed no adverse effects and no alteration in normal retinal functions, as assessed by electroretinography.

Neovacs announced today that results achieved with its VEGF Kinoid in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will be presented at EVER (European Association for Vision and Eye Research) annual conference. The EVER conference will be held in Portoroz, Slovenia, from September 30th to October 3rd.
The VEGF Kinoid presentation, entitled “Encouraging results of a VEGF Kinoid against experimental choroidal neovascularization” will share the results of work done by a team led by Marc Abitbol M.D. PhD.

Neovacs announced today that Piers Whitehead has joined the Company`s management team as VP Corporate Development.
Mr Whitehead has over 15 years experience in the life sciences as both a senior executive and a consultant, and has led and negotiated transactions in Europe, the US, Japan and Korea.

Neovacs, a biotechnology company developing proprietary immunotherapeutics for autoimmune and chronic diseases, today announced that subject to regulatory consent, it plans to initiate a Phase II study of its TNF- α Kinoid later this year in rheumatoid arthritis patients who have failed treatment with at least one TNF-α inhibitor. The decision to proceed with the trial was based on an initial review of encouraging data from the company's Phase I/II study in Crohn’s disease.

Neovacs today announced that Swissmedic (the Swiss regulatory authority for medicinal products) has granted clearance for the clinical study of its TNFα-kinoid candidate in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease. The TNFα-kinoid is currently being evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical study in South Africa.
Following the receipt of Swissmedic’s consent, Neovacs now plans to add two Swiss sites to the ongoing trial during the month of June.

Neovacs today announced that its TNFα-kinoid candidate for the treatment of Crohn’s disease (currently undergoing a Phase I/II clinical study in South Africa) had been rated as the most promising drug entering Phase II trials by Thomson Pharma (a Thomson Reuters' subsidiary) in a recent survey.
The survey was published by Thomson Pharma’s industry experts in December 2008 and identifies the most promising drugs that are changing clinical phase; Neovacs' TNFα-kinoid candidate heads the list.

Neovacs today announced the publication of an article on anti-IFNα kinoid active immunization in the March 11 edition of the prestigious journal PNAS (the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA). In an article entitled "IFNα kinoid vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies prevent clinical manifestations in a lupus flare murine model", Prof. Daniel Zagury MD and colleagues demonstrate the efficacy of an anti-IFNα kinoid active immunization approach in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Neovacs announced that it had begun a phase I/II clinical study at three study centres in South Africa with the candidate TNFa-kinoid, a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of TNFa dependent auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis. This study, to be conducted on patients suffering from Crohn’s disease, will relate to the identification of the optimal immunogenic dosage for neutralizing TNFa.

Neovacs, a leading biotechnology company in the development of anti‐cytokine and anti‐protein viral regulation therapeutic vaccines to treat certain cancers and inflammatory diseases, and Biomedical Diagnostics, a diagnostic company specializing in auto‐immune diseases, today announced that they have received a €7.9 million grant from OSEO Innovation to support “Tracker”, a theranostics project concerning rheumatoid arthritis. The project will be managed by Neovacs.

Le Buanec H, Paturance S, Couillin I, Schnyder-Candrian S, Larcier P, Ryffel B, Bizzini B, Bensussan A, Burny A, Gallo R, Zagury D, Peltre G.
Control of allergic reactions in mice by an active anti-murine IL-4 immunization Vaccine. 2007 Oct 10;25(41):7206-16

Neovacs, a biotech company pioneering the development of anticytokine and anti-viral regulation protein therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of certain cancers and inflammatory diseases, today announced a major €13 million share capital increase with the Novartis Venture Fund as the lead investor. Truffle Capital, an investor and majority shareholder since 2003, has reinvested €4 million in Neovacs.
The Novartis Venture Fund and Truffle Capital are likely to invite one or two additional investors onboard in the coming months.

Neovacs and Inserm units U543 & U764  present the preclinical proof-of-concept of "IFN-alpha Kinoid" anti-IFN-alpha vaccine in a NZB/NZW F1 lupus prone mice model.
Active immunization with IFNα Kinoid prevents the development of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in an IFNα-induced murine model of lupus disease.

Neovacs, a biotech company pioneering the development of anti-cytokine and anti-viral regulation protein therapeutic vaccines, announces the publication of an article on anti-VEGF kinoid vaccination in the February 20 edition of the prestigious journal PNAS (the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA). The authors demonstrate that active immunization against VEGF was effective in several solid tumor models. This vaccine represents a new therapeutic strategy in the treatment of malignant tumors by inhibiting their neovascularization.

Tumor growth depends on blood supply, requiring the development of new vessels, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a central role in neoangiogenic processes. For this reason, VEGF represents a target for the development of new therapeutic antiangiogenic molecules. Clinical trials using anti- VEGF mAbs such as bevacizumab have validated the efficacy of this therapeutic approach but have also revealed adverse effects.

Néovacs, a biotech company pioneering the development of anti-cytokine and anti-viral regulation protein therapeutic vaccines, announces the publication of an article on anti-TNF-alpha therapeutic vaccination in the December 21st edition of the prestigious journal PNAS (the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA). The research shows that active immunization against an endogenous cytokine may be a feasible approach in treating pathologies associated with high TNF-alpha production, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis and cachexia.

TNF-alpha kinoid vaccination-induced neutralizing antibodies to TNF-alpha protect mice from autologous TNF-alpha-driven chronic and acute inflammation. The proinflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha is a potent mediator of septic shock and a therapeutic target for chronic inflammatory pathologies including rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
As an alternative to anti-human TNF-alpha (hTNF-alpha) mAbs and other hTNF-alpha blocker approved drugs, we developed an active anti-hTNF-alpha immunotherapy, based on a vaccine comprised of a keyhole limpet hemocyanin-hTNF-alpha heterocomplex immunogen (hTNF-alpha kinoid) adjuvanted in incomplete Freund’s adjuvant.

Neovacs, a leading biotechnology company developing anti-cytokine and anti-viral regulatory protein vaccines, today announced the achievement of its first milestone under a license and equity agreement signed with the Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm) for the development of TNF (tumor necrosis factor) alpha Kinoid® for the treatment of wasting syndromes such as cancer cachexia and autoimmune diseases. This milestone triggers an undisclosed payment by Debiopharm to Neovacs.

Neovacs today announced the appointment of Guy-Charles Fanneau de La Horie as its new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Fanneau de La Horie replaces Alain Huriez MD.

Neovacs is pleased to announce that it has been selected as one of the 100 companies driving the future of technology in the EMEA region by Red Herring in its prestigious “Red Herring100 Europe” listing. The company will present at the Venture Market Europe 2006 conference on May 10 at 5:30 p.m.
(Hotel Westin Castiglione, Paris).