BiondVax Shares Skyrocket After It Plans To In-License Nanosized COVID-19 Antibody

BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd BVXV has entered into agreements with the Max Planck Society and the University Medical Center Göttingen in Germany. 

• The parties intend to enter into a 5-year strategic research collaboration, including an option for BiondVax to license VHH antibodies.
• VHH antibodies were developed by the Max Planck Institute and exhibit key advantages over current industry-standard human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). 
• These include the ability to bind to smaller target sites, significantly higher affinity to the target, higher stability, ease & lower manufacturing cost, and potential for improved patient safety.
• The collaboration will begin with licensing BiondVax's exclusive worldwide COVID-19 VHH antibody candidates.
• The candidates have been shown to neutralize all known major variants of concern at around 100-times lower drug concentrations than current COVID-19 mAbs.
• BiondVax anticipates completing preclinical proof-of-concept inhalation studies in 2022 and initiating human clinical trials in 2023.
• The parties aim to complete definitive agreements within 90 days, although there is no guarantee if and when the parties will execute the final agreements.
• Price Action: BVXV shares are up 98.7% at $2.94 during the premarket session on the last check Wednesday.