Amyris Completes First Major License For Leading RNA Vaccine Advancing Technology To Human Trials

Rhea-AI Summary

Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS) announced an exclusive license with Nant Africa, LLC for its RNA COVID vaccine developed with the Infectious Disease Research Institute. The agreement could yield millions in upfront and milestone payments, along with long-term royalties. It includes funding for human clinical trials and aims for vaccine production in South Africa by year-end. The RNA technology shows comparable immunity to authorized vaccines and has lower production costs. This represents Amyris' first major pharmaceutical license, enhancing its commitment to accessible healthcare.

Positive

• Expected to generate millions in upfront and milestone payments.
• Long-term royalties from the use of the vaccine technology.
• RNA vaccine technology demonstrated comparable immunity to authorized vaccines.
• Production costs estimated to be around 10X lower than current vaccines.
• First major license in pharma could accelerate market entry for future therapies.

Negative

• None.

EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), a leading synthetic biotechnology company active in the Clean Health and Beauty markets through its consumer brands, and a top supplier of sustainable and natural ingredients, today announced that it has signed an exclusive license with Nant Africa, LLC relating to the development and use of the RNA COVID vaccine Amyris developed in coordination with the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI).

The license and collaboration with Nant Africa is expected to generate several million dollars in near term upfront and milestone payments, and also includes long term royalties for the use of the Amyris and IDRI technology on the African continent. The license includes the funding of human clinical trials, which upon successful completion are expected to be followed by the production and scaling of the vaccine in South Africa with a target of reaching patients by the end of this year.

Amyris' partnership with Nant Africa is of significant value to Amyris as it provides the fastest path to market for the Amyris and IDRI RNA technology. Pre-clinical data has demonstrated that this RNA Vaccine technology generates comparable immunity to the currently authorized RNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, without the need for cold chain logistics and with a production cost that is estimated to be around 10X lower. This RNA platform is positioned to make potent, safe and durable COVID vaccines available to all people and not just wealthy countries. Amyris continues to hold options to license exclusive use of this RNA technology for selected oncology and other target therapies.

"Our mission to make the world's leading treatments accessible to all people started with the invention of our Malaria treatment and we are excited to once again make a difference on the African continent through our collaboration with Nant Africa," commented John Melo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amyris. "This partnership accelerates the development of our RNA technology and we believe this will be a critical differentiator globally to make our promising RNA therapies accessible to all," continued Melo. "This is Amyris' first major license in pharma and we expect to build on this momentum as we continue to apply our technology and resources to making our planet healthier and add vaccines and therapeutics to the strong traction we are experiencing with our ingredients and consumer brands."

About Amyris
Amyris (Nasdaq: AMRS) is a science and technology leader in the research, development and production of sustainable ingredients for the Clean Health & Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances markets. Amyris uses an impressive array of exclusive technologies, including state-of-the-art machine learning, robotics and artificial intelligence. Our ingredients are included in over 3,000 products from the world's top brands, reaching more than 200 million consumers. Amyris is proud to own and operate a family of consumer brands - all built around its No Compromise® promise of clean ingredients: Biossance® clean beauty skincare, Pipette® clean baby skincare, and Purecane™, a zero-calorie sweetener naturally derived from sugarcane. For more information, please visit www.amyris.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, and any statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding Amyris entering into a license with Nant Africa, LLC; proceeding with human clinical trials, expectations regarding the path to market for the Amyris and IDRI RNA technology; the results from pre-clinical data regarding immunity, the need for cold chain logistics and expected production costs and availability of the vaccine to all people. These statements are based on management's current expectations and actual results and future events may differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including risks related to delays or failures in development, regulatory approval, production and commercialization of products; risks related to Amyris's reliance on third parties (including in the supply chain); Amyris's liquidity and ability to fund operating and capital expenses; and other risks detailed from time to time in filings Amyris makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Amyris disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Amyris, the Amyris logo, No Compromise, Biossance, Pipette, and Purecane are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amyris, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

 

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SOURCE Amyris, Inc.

FAQ

What is Amyris' recent announcement regarding an RNA COVID vaccine?

Amyris announced an exclusive license with Nant Africa for its RNA COVID vaccine, which includes funding for human trials and aims for production in South Africa by year-end.

What financial benefits does the license with Nant Africa provide for Amyris?

The license is expected to generate millions in upfront and milestone payments, along with long-term royalties.

How does Amyris' RNA vaccine technology compare to existing COVID vaccines?

Amyris' RNA vaccine technology shows comparable immunity to currently authorized vaccines while having lower production costs and eliminating cold chain logistics.

When is the expected vaccine production to begin in South Africa?

The production of the vaccine is targeted to reach patients in South Africa by the end of this year.

What significance does this license hold for Amyris in the pharmaceutical industry?

This represents Amyris' first major license in pharmaceuticals, potentially allowing for accelerated development of future therapies.