UK-based Emergex Vaccines Holding has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Arabia-based startup Vaccine Industrial Company (VIC) for a collaboration agreement advancing Emergex’s novel T cell-priming immune set-point candidates against designated infectious diseases.

This follows recent announcements of promising data reported from successful completion of Phase I clinical trials of candidates for Betacoronaviruses and Dengue Fever.

Currently, Saudi Arabia has an entirely nascent market in infectious disease solutions and has established companies such as VIC to position itself and associated territories as a global biotech hub to facilitate serious initiatives to localise the biotechnology industry and harness novel technologies to address this.

Under the terms, VIC intends to take an equity stake in Emergex, subject to government support of Phase II/III clinical trials of Emergex's T cell-priming candidates for Dengue, Coronavirus, Influenza, Yellow Fever, including add-on products related to these indications. VIC shall have a Right of First Negotiation (ROFN) over new candidates proposed by Emergex for the Territory. The venture would grant VIC exclusive rights to marketing and distribution of potential licensed products, as well as fill and finish activities for potential licensed products within Saudi Arabia and the designated Territory, with Emergex’s assistance for any technology transfer.