Bavarian Nordic A/S has been granted another US Patent on MVA
Bavarian Nordic A/S announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent to the company which further strengthens its intellectual property position on MVA.
With this patent Bavarian Nordic gets exclusivity to manufacture MVA-based vaccines for vaccination of small children.
The new patent (“Modified vaccinia virus Ankara for the vaccination of neonates” - US Patent No. 7,097,842) covers use of MVA derived vaccinia viruses for inducing a general immune stimulation, including the use of MVA-BN® used for protection against smallpox in neonates, i.e. young children with an immature immune system according to the patent. The granted claims are directed to inducing a general immune stimulation in neonates and, thus, the patented technology cover the high risk group of the young, particularly young children with an immature immune system. This population of individuals is difficult to vaccinate because their immune systems are not fully developed and are therefore as such at risk from viral based vaccines.
Peter Wulff, President and CEO said, "This latest patent reinforces our growing patent position on MVA and adds further value to our MVA-BN® technology base for the development of new and improved vaccines. Furthermore, this patent is a necessary requirement under the RFP-III programme for development and production of MVA as a safe smallpox vaccine for high-risk individuals as the paediatric population is the single most important high-risk group for traditional smallpox vaccines. Finally, the patent offers Bavarian Nordic exclusivity to the vaccination of small children with MVA-based vaccines.”
