The Best Vaccine Licensing Deal category was open to pharma, biotech and academic stakeholders within the vaccine industry that had engaged in a two-way licensing deal for a vaccine candidate or technology within the last 12 months.
The criteria used to judge this category will be as follows:
- The structure of the deal, the involved parties, the candidate in question and what rights it covers
- The monetary value of the deal in up-front and milestone payments
- The geographical/demographic spread of deal and allowance to enter new markets
- The strategic value of the licensed product / candidate to the licensee's business
- The appropriateness of the licensed product as best possible candidate to complement the licensee's existing pipeline or particular vaccine franchise
Winner: Vical and Astellas
Judges specific comments on the winner included:
1. One of first if not the first DNA vaccine deal. Very bold for a company taking the first important step of strategic entry into a global vaccine business
2. The vaccine will enable the strengthening of existing infectiou and transplantation franchises as well as to expand their infectious disease franchise from bacterial/fungal to viral infection.
Well done Vical and Astellas
8***********************************************
Highly Regarded' recommendation: BioSante Pharmaceuticals and Aduro Biotech for their Pancreas and Prostate Cancer Vaccine, so well done for finishing a close second.