Origimm is engaged in discovering virulent skin microbiome components and antigens from bacteria that cause skin disease, including acne
Sanofi will obtain vaccine candidate to treat acne. (Credit: Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay.)
French healthcare firm Sanofi has agreed to acquire Austrian biotech company Origimm Biotechnology to add a vaccine candidate for acne to its pipeline.
Origimm is engaged in discovering virulent skin microbiome components and antigens from bacteria that cause skin disease, including acne vulgaris.
With the acquisition, Sanofi will add ORI-001, a therapeutic vaccine candidate for acne vulgaris, developed based on recombinant proteins, to its early-stage pipeline
ORI-001 vaccine is expected to enter into preliminary clinical studies in Q3 2021.
The French drugmaker aims to develop new versions of the antigen and use its advanced mRNA platform for Ph1/2 study of the vaccine, expected to start in 2023.
Sanofi Pasteur global head, executive vice president Thomas Triomphe said: “The acquisition of Origimm further broadens our vaccines R&D pipeline with a first vaccine candidate against acne, a high medical need for millions of teenagers and adults.
“Welcoming Origimm within Sanofi expands our area of expertise by bringing extensive know-how in the field of skin microbiome and skin immunology. We look forward to unlocking the full potential of this candidate”.
According to Sanofi, acne is a widespread condition that affects millions of people, causing psychological burden for both teenagers and adults.
Cutibacterium acnes bacterium is a bacteria that play an important role in the development of moderate to severe acne.
Currently, there is no satisfactory treatment against acne, that combines high efficacy and acceptable safety, said the company.
Origimm founder and CEO/CSO Sanya Selak said: “We are looking forward to combining our expertise and strengths to continue developing innovative solutions for prevention and treatment of the skin microbiome-associated diseases, such as common acne.
“Together with such a strong partner like Sanofi, we will strive to creating a paradigm shift in treatment of skin diseases and many other microbiome-associated disorders and infections, for which current medical solutions are inadequate.”
Earlier this year, Sanofi agreed to acquire US-based biopharmaceutical firm Kadmon Holdings in an all-cash transaction valued at around $1.9bn.