Austria-based Eveliqure Biotechnologies GmbH, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on Shigella and ETEC vaccine development, and Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), a Cyrus Poonawalla group company and the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, have announced a strategic collaboration and licence agreement for the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of novel anti-diarrhoeal vaccines targeting significant global health pathogens.
Under the collaboration, SII will obtain non-exclusive global rights to ShigETEC, Eveliqure’s proprietary vaccine program targeting Shigella and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), for paediatric populations.
The collaboration aims to develop broad-spectrum anti-diarrhoeal vaccines and accelerate clinical development and global access to these critical vaccines for children. Eveliqure will receive a one-time upfront fee along with development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, in addition to royalties on net sales.
The companies will collaborate continuously throughout the programme, with SII leading the development and global commercialisation efforts. Eveliqure will retain rights to the traveller and military markets and remains free to pursue additional collaborations in these fields.
Diarrhoeal diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly among children under five in low- and middle-income countries. Despite improvements in sanitation and healthcare, there remains a substantial need for safe, effective, and broadly protective vaccines. Currently, no licenced vaccines exist to prevent infections from the two most prevalent bacterial pathogens, Shigella and ETEC, which account for approximately 200 million diarrhoea cases annually in children under five and contribute to unacceptably high mortality rates and development deficits (stunting).
ShigETEC, an oral live attenuated vaccine candidate, is derived from an engineered Shigella strain lacking the ability to invade gut epithelial cells, eliminating a key virulence feature of shigellosis. By deleting highly variable sugar antigens on the bacterial surface, the vaccine is designed to induce broad-spectrum Shigella immune protection. In addition, ShigETEC expresses ETEC toxoid antigens to induce protective antibodies capable of inactivating potent diarrhoeagenic toxins.
