Neovacs: Publication in the Journal Arthritis & Rheumatism of an Article on Active Immunization with IFNa-Kinoid in Lupus

Regulatory News:

NEOVACS (Alternext Paris : ALNEV), a leader in active immunotherapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, is proud to announce today the publication in one of the leading scientific journals in the field of rheumatology, Arthritis & Rhumatism, of an article on active immunization with IFNa-Kinoid in patients with lupus.

"This publication in Arthritis & Rhumatism of the clinical results obtained with IFNa-Kinoid in lupus shows once again the interest of the scientific community in our work in auto-immune diseases. We believe the Kinoid is the only treatment able to effectively neutralize all subtypes of interferon-alpha present in lupus and, based on what has been published to date, it does so at a much higher level than other products also targeting IFNa have been able to achieve,” commented Pierre Vandepapelière, Chief Medical Officer of NEOVACS.

The article, co-authored by Bernard Lauwerys MD-PHD of the Catholic University of Louvain / University Clinics of Saint-Luc in Belgium, and the NEOVACS’ scientific team, concludes that active immunization with the Kinoid is a novel and potentially effective approach in the treatment of lupus. The article is based on the results of Phase I/II study IFNa-Kinoid in lupus published for the first time in November 2011 during the annual meeting of the American College for Rheumatology (ACR).

These results confirm that the Kinoids developed by NEOVACS’ outstanding scientific team and partners have the potential to become the breakthrough treatment for auto-immune diseases. Roche /Genentech’s decision last October to initiate a phase III of its monoclonal antibody targeting interferon alpha also lends validation to our approach with the IFNa-Kinoid. The pharmaceutical industry’s renewed interest in lupus is clear and it is growing,” concluded Guy-Charles Fanneau de la Horie, CEO of NEOVACS.

About lupus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, life-threatening autoimmune disease in which the immune system produces antibodies to cells within the body leading to widespread inflammation and tissue damage. Prevalence estimates vary widely, and range as high as 1.5 million in North America (the Lupus Foundation of America) and 5 million worldwide. The Center for Disease Control estimates a prevalence between 322,000 and one million with definite or probable SLE in the US. Lupus disease may first occur at any age, though peak diagnosis is between the ages of 15 and 40. It is far more common in women than men. People with SLE may experience fatigue, pain or swelling in joints, skin rashes, and fevers. It can also affect the lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels. It remains an area of significant unmet medical need. Scientists have highlighted the overproduction of the interferon alpha cytokine as a key factor in the causation and development of the disease. The market for lupus treatments is estimated by analysts to be potentially worth several billion US$.

About Neovacs

Neovacs is a biotechnology company focused on an active immunotherapy technology platform (Kinoids) with applications in autoimmune and/or inflammatory diseases. On the basis of the company’s proprietary technology for inducing a polyclonal immune response (covered by five patent families that run until at least 2026) Neovacs is focusing its development efforts on two active immunotherapies: TNF-Kinoid is being developed for the treatment of TNF-mediated autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease, whereas IFNa-Kinoid is being developed for the indication of lupus. The goal of the Kinoid approach is to enable patients to have access to safe treatments with efficacy that is sustained in these life-long diseases.

For more information on Neovacs, visit www.neovacs.fr