MedImmune and Sanofi Pasteur are creating and marketing MEDI8897, a drug that aims to prevent lower respiratory tract illnesses that stem from respiratory syncytial virus.
Respiratory syncytial virus, which has symptoms that are related to colds, leads the way when it comes to what gives children and infants lower respiratory tract illness.
Sanofi Pasteur will pay $141.9 million to begin creating and marketing the treatment. The company will also pay up to $585.5 million, with the amount contingent on how well the drug performs through testing and in hitting benchmarks on the market.
MedImmune, research and development arm of AstraZeneca, and Sanofi Pasteur will split expenses and profits they make from the medicine. MedImmune and AstraZeneca will manage the creation and improvements on the drug while the companies seek approval, and AstraZeneca will manufacture the medicine. Sanofi Pasteur will manage the marketing of MEDI8897.
Right now, MEDI8897 is undergoing a Phase IIb test in premature babies who could not Synagis, which is right now the medicine used to treat the illness. MedImmune and AstraZeneca also have plans to put MEDI8897 through a Phase III test on healthy babies who were carried to term and premature babies born between 34 0/7 weeks and 36 6/7 weeks.
