Singapore: Australian infectious disease therapy and vaccine development company, BioDiem, has received an early annual maintenance payment from its Chinese partner, Changchun BCHT Biotechnology (BCHT), for license of the company's Live Attenuated Influenza Virus (LAIV) vaccine technology.

In February 2012, BioDiem outlicensed its proprietary LAIV vaccine technology to BCHT in the form of an exclusive licence targeting the Chinese private sector market for pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines, made using an egg-based production method. Under the current licensing agreement, BioDiem received annual payments of $100,000 until launch of the product.

BCHT holds a complementary licence to the LAIV for the public market in China via a sub-licence from the World Health Organisation (WHO). In the first quarter of this year, BCHT is planning to lodge an application with the Chinese FDA for approval to conduct human clinical trials for LAIV flu vaccines. T

his is another encouraging step towards supplying to the large private market of China. BCHT is currently constructing a substantial new production facility at the Changchun National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone in China, made up of two buildings, one intended for the manufacture of BCHT's proprietary rabies vaccine and another for the manufacture of influenza vaccines using BioDiem's LAIV technology.

Ms Julie Phillips, CEO, BioDiem, said that, "We are pleased to receive the first payment of annual maintenance fees from our Chinese partner, Changchun BCHT Biotechnology, which is a stream of revenue that we expect to increase as the influenza vaccines manufactured with BioDiem's LAIV technology are launched. Further to that, we are delighted with our partner's confidence in BioDiem's LAIV technology, demonstrated through the company's development of a new vaccine manufacturing facility with a whole building suited for production of LAIV vaccines."