BioNet Appoints New COO and Accelerates the Development of New Recombinant Pertussis Vaccine

          BANGKOK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 2014 - BioNet-Asia appoints Georges Thiry as COO and moves to next development phase of its Recombinant Pertussis vaccine after getting promising clinical results
          BioNet-Asia, a vaccine company focused on vaccine discovery and supply, announced that Georges Thiry has been appointed COO of the company, effective early 2015.
          “Georges Thiry’s invaluable experience in vaccine development and project management will strengthen the position of our Company as a key vaccine player in the field of technological innovation and manufacturing partnership,” said Pham Hong Thai, BioNet-Asia’s CEO.
          Thiry is currently the Director of the Dengue Vaccine Initiative and chairman of the Product Development Team for the Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative.
          He holds a PhD in Science, Microbiology & Genetics and spent these last 30 years in vaccine research and development. He was Director of Projects at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals before joining several public institutions such as the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, PATH and the International Vaccine Institute. At PATH, a global health organization, he also led several Public Private Partnerships for the development of new Rotavirus Vaccines in developing countries.
          Jean Petre, Chief Scientific Officer of BioNet added: “I am confident that under Georges’ leadership, BioNet will bring more projects forward. We are especially keen on moving our Recombinant Pertussis vaccine candidate, which has shown promising results in human clinical trials with a robust immune response of anti-pertussis toxin neutralizing antibodies.”
          For nearly ten years, BioNet has been working on the development of a new Recombinant Pertussis (RP) vaccine. All licensed acellular Pertussis (aP) vaccines currently use a detoxified Pertussis Toxin which is denatured by the use of chemicals. BioNet RP vaccine contains a genetically-engineered non-toxic Pertussis Toxin, which could potentially be the solution to the re-emergence of pertussis in many developed countries.
          “We also want to thank Dario Cresci, our current COO, for successfully establishing BioNet manufacturing site and completing the production upscale of our first key vaccines. We are delighted that he chose to remain on our Advisory Committee showing his full commitment to the future company’s milestones,” said Pham.

About Pertussis
          Pertussis or whooping cough is a very contagious respiratory illness caused by Bordetella pertussis. Although the incidence of pertussis has declined through the routine immunization of infants and young children, vaccine-induced immunity does not persist long. This phenomenon of “waning immunity” was accentuated by the introduction of acellular pertussis vaccines. There are 16 million pertussis cases worldwide each year, mainly in adolescents and adults. These therefore pass on the disease to infants who have not yet completed their pertussis immunization series, and in whom pertussis is most severe. The resurgence of pertussis calls for the replacement of current acellular vaccines and for new vaccination strategies such as adult booster and maternal immunizations.

About BioNet-Asia
          BioNet-Asia is an independent vaccine company with a focus on technological innovation and market access. BioNet has built several strategic alliances fostering vaccine self-reliance leading to the production and supply of billions of doses of vaccines worldwide. In its vaccine manufacturing plant in Thailand, BioNet is developing a broad pipeline of products in R&D and clinical stages, such as recombinant Pertussis, CRM197 protein carrier, Dengue and Hepatitis B vaccines. The company has transferred the technology to produce Hib meningitis vaccine which is now commercialized as a pentavalent vaccine in Asia. BioNet is a trusted vaccine partner for product development, technology transfer and global market access.

CONTACT:
BioNet-Asia Co., Ltd.
Mr Supachai Nampornchaisakul, +66-2361-8110
[email protected]
www.bionet-asia.com