LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
ECO Animal Health Group plc
(AIM: EAH)
ECO Animal Health and Ghent University sign poultry vaccine development licencing deal
ECO Animal Health Ltd (ECO), a wholly owned subsidiary of ECO Animal Health Group plc, is pleased to announce that it has entered a worldwide exclusive development and licencing deal with Ghent University-PROVAXS.
This deal allows ECO to further develop, register and commercialize a Clostridium perfringens vaccine for poultry based on antigens co-developed by Prof. Filip Van Immerseel (Laboratory of Bacteriology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Ghent University) and Prof. Rick Titball (College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter). Clostridium perfringens is a bacterium which normally inhabits the gastrointestinal system but when predisposing triggers are present, specific strains can cause necrotic enteritis with major consequences for bird health and growth.
Peter Lawrence, Non-Executive Chairman of ECO Animal Health Group plc commented, “We are delighted to have entered into this collaboration with Ghent University. Necrotic enteritis can result in a significant reduction in body weight and increase in feed conversion rate when compared with healthy broilers”.
Professor Van Immerseel, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University said, “We look forward to collaborating with ECO Animal Health on the development of this candidate vaccine into a practical tool for the prevention of necrotic enteritis thereby further supporting the global poultry industry in adopting a sustainable approach to the management of this disease”.
The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Group to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
Contacts:
ECO Animal Health Group plc
| Peter Lawrence | 020 8336 6190 | |
| Marc Loomes | 020 8447 6906 | |
| Spiro Financial | ||
| Anthony Spiro | 020 8336 6196 | |
| N+1 Singer (Nominated Adviser) | 020 7496 3000 | |
| Mark Taylor, Brough Ransom | ||
| Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker) | ||
| James Steel, Dr Christopher Golden | 020 7418 8900 |
Ghent University – PROVAXS
Sven Arnouts +32 (0)9 264 73 33
-----------------------------------------------------
About ECO Animal Health Ltd
ECO Animal Health based in London U.K. is a leader in the development, registration and marketing of pharmaceutical products for global animal health markets. Its products for these growth markets promote well-being in animals and include the novel antimicrobial, Aivlosin®, as well as a range of generic therapeutic products.
About Ghent University
Ghent University in Belgium is a global top 100 university with an international reputation for research. Its Faculty of Veterinary Medicine ranks number 1 on the Shanghai Ranking 2017 and 2018. Ghent University strategically invests in multidisciplinary clusters to expand its industrial R&D network. Key technology transfer activities include industrial collaboration programs, IP licensing and spin-off creation. Over the past ten years, this joint effort has resulted in 439 granted patents, the establishment of 68 spin-off companies and an intensive collaboration with companies. PROVAXS is Ghent University’s business development cluster for animal health.
Ghent University has collaborated with the University of Exeter in the U.K. to jointly develop the Clostridium perfringens vaccine for poultry.