Themis Bioscience Announces Exclusive License and Research Collaboration Agreement with MSD to Develop Vaccine Candidates

Themis Bioscience announced today a research collaboration and exclusive license agreement with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA) for the discovery and development of undisclosed vaccine candidates using Themis' measles virus vector-based platform.

"Given the versatility of our immune-modulation platform and our proven ability to rapidly generate product candidates across a broad range of infectious disease and cancer indications, our partnership with MSD, a global leader in vaccine development, validates the potential of our measles virus-based technology," said Erich Tauber, MD, CEO of Themis Bioscience. "We are excited to collaborate with MSD and to develop a vaccine that has the potential to provide a significant benefit to a great number of patients worldwide."

Under the terms of the agreement, Themis will develop vaccine candidates against an undisclosed disease target. MSD will provide research funding and make an equity investment in Themis. In addition Themis will be eligible to receive development and sales milestone payments up to the potential value of approximately USD 200 million as well as royalties on approved products from the collaboration. No further financial details were disclosed.

"At MSD, we continue to evaluate technologies with the potential to deliver novel vaccine candidates," said Daria Hazuda, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Exploratory Science Center and vice president of infectious diseases and vaccine discovery at MSD. "We look forward to collaborating with the scientists at Themis."

About Themis

Themis is developing immunomodulation therapies for infectious diseases and cancer. Through advanced understanding of immune system mechanisms, the Company has built a sophisticated and versatile technology platform for the discovery, development and production of vaccines as well as other immune system activation approaches. Initially focused on preventing infectious diseases, Themis has demonstrated the potential of its versatile platform through the rapid and successful completion of Phase 2 and near-term entry into Phase 3 clinical development for a vaccine against Chikungunya, a debilitating disease with global outbreak potential. Funded to date by leading venture capital firms, Themis has also gained prestigious non-dilutive funding for emerging infectious disease indications. The Company will apply its platform and commercial manufacturing capabilities to diseases with high market potential both alone and for its partners. For more information, visit http://www.themisbio.com.