Exclusive license for Croda to commercialise SSI’s CAF vaccine adjuvants

Croda International Plc, which uses smart science to improve lives, announces that it has entered a strategic collaboration with Statens Serum Institut (“SSI”), the leading Danish Governmental life-science research institute.

Croda’s vaccine adjuvant specialists, based in Denmark, will exclusively manufacture, and commercialise CAF®, a range of patented cationic adjuvants developed by SSI. Over the past decade, clinical trials have shown these to be powerful vaccine adjuvants.

Croda is continuously increasing its offering in innovative vaccine adjuvant systems and the strategic collaboration with SSI enables Croda to offer a new alternative to traditional aluminium-based adjuvants. This will provide new opportunities for the development of vaccines for diseases where effective vaccines have been unable to be developed, as well as more effective preventative and therapeutic vaccines for a range of diseases.

• The collaboration encompasses manufacturing and commercialisation of the two CAF®-adjuvants, CAF®01 and CAF®09b, both of which are in clinical development:
• CAF®01 induces strong antibody and T cell responses. In vaccines for infectious diseases, results show it is also more effective in priming the immune system. The unique mechanism of this novel adjuvant is well-documented, with recent data suggesting that it is also capable of developing strong immune responses in new-borns.
• CAF®09b is already in use within cancer immunotherapy trials, facilitating strong production of CD8 + T cells from vaccines.

This agreement will enable Croda to broaden its customer offering as well as the support and expertise it shares with research institutes and academics. It also takes the company closer to achieving its People Positive ambition to support the successful development and commercialisation of 25% of World Health Organization listed pipeline vaccines.

Peter Tygesen, Managing Director of Croda Denmark said: “Together with Croda’s acquisition of Avanti Polar Lipids, this is another important step towards becoming a world leader in vaccine adjuvants. It will help us enhance our contribution to vaccine development and support our customers as they continue in their quest to find new and innovative vaccines against severe diseases in the world.”

Henrik Ullum, CEO of SSI commented: “Croda is the ideal collaboration partner for our proprietary CAF® adjuvants, with its extensive experience and focus on adjuvants Croda has become the global adjuvant power-house.”