China-based startup Everest Medicines has inked two separate definitive agreements with Canadian biotech firm Providence Therapeutics Holdings Inc., to (i) license rights to Providence's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidates in Asia emerging markets, including Greater China, Southeast Asia and Pakistan, and (ii) establish a broad, strategic partnership to develop mRNA products globally leveraging Providence's cutting-edge mRNA technology platform.

Everest gains rights to Providence's mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in Greater China, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. 

Providence's lead mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate, PTX-COVID19-B, currently in Phase 2 clinical trials, has demonstrated that it is generally safe and well tolerated and that the PTX-COVID19-B dosed subjects have high neutralization titers against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 (G614) in an S protein-typed pseudovirus assay.

Everest will also gain rights to Providence's next generation mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidates against specific variants of concern (VOC) which are in pre-clinical development.