Immuron (ASX:IMC) develops research agreement

• Biopharmaceutical company Immuron (IMC) has executed its previously announced research agreement with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Centre and the CSIRO
• Immuron will assist the CSIRO in producing a hyper-immune bovine colostrum product, using vaccines developed by the Naval Medical Research Centre
• Through the agreement, Immuron and the CSIRO will develop new therapies to combat Campylobacter and E. coli, two bacteria which cause stomach infections
• The Naval Medical Research Centre has already submitted the preliminary new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and expects to receive initial comments within 30 days
• Immuron shares are grey at market open, priced at 32.5 cents each

Biopharmaceutical company Immuron (IMC) has executed its previously announced research agreement involving the US Naval Medical Research Centre and the CSIRO.

The CSIRO has been tasked with producing a hyper-immune bovine colostrum product using vaccines developed by the NMRC. As Immuron has significant experience in this area, CSIRO and the company will collaborate on the project.

The treatments are designed to combat the bacteria Campylobacter and E. coli, which cause stomach infections. The company expects the resulting treatments to be clinically evaluated in the U.S.

The Naval Medical Research Centre has already submitted the preliminary new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, earlier this month. Immuron expects the FDA two respond with its initial comments on the application within 30 days.

Immuron CEO, Dr Jerry Kanellos, said the company was grateful for CSIRO’s strong support across the Australian biotechnology industry.

“The current program is now back on track and we will have the hyper-immune bovine colostrum harvested in September 2020. The drug substance and drug product will be manufactured by the end of this year and will be available for the clinical development program to prevent acute infectious diarrhea, which the NMRC plans to initiate early next year,” he said. 

Immuron’s Travelan is already a listed medicine in Australia and has been shown to reduce the risk of diarrheal and minor gastrointestinal disorders. Meanwhile, in Canada and the U.S., Travelan is sold as a natural health product and a dietary supplement.

Travelan is considered an orally administered passive immunotherapy, which contains a tableted preparation of hyperimmune bovine antibodies. The antibodies bind to diarrhea-causing bacteria to help relieve the symptoms associated with Traveller’s Diarrhoea.

Immuron shares are grey at market open, priced at 32.5 cents each at 10:21 am AEST.