Bavarian Nordic Receives Contract From Janssen As Part Of Ebola Vaccine Regimen

Bavarian Nordic A/S has  announced the award of a subcontract from Crucell Holland B.V., one of Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, valued at USD 9 million. This is part of a contract awarded to Janssen by the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support the advanced development and manufacturing of the Ebola prime-boost vaccine regimen which consists of Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN® Filo and Ad26.ZEBOV from Janssen. 

The five-year base subcontract covers studies to improve the manufacturing process and establish long-term storage of MVA-BN Filo bulk vaccine. The contract also includes options for an additional USD 24 million to implement process development activities for formulation of a final drug product with a longer shelf life. 

As part of an accelerated development program, Janssen has initiated multiple clinical studies of the prime-boost Ebola vaccine regimen in Europe and Africa. By awarding a contract to Janssen, BARDA is prioritizing the rapid development of this promising vaccine regimen candidate. To date, Bavarian Nordic has produced and delivered the bulk equivalent of over one million doses of its vaccine. 

Paul Chaplin, President & Chief Executive Officer of Bavarian Nordic, said: “We are very pleased to strengthen our collaboration with Janssen on the accelerated development of the prime-boost Ebola vaccine regimen. More importantly, it is encouraging that the U.S. Government - through BARDA, with whom we have worked for over a decade - recognizes the potential of this vaccine to build international preparedness for current and future Ebola outbreaks.”

As the majority of revenue from the contract will be recognized in 2016 and 2017, no changes are made in the Company’s expectations for the financial results for 2015.