Boehringer Ingelheim licenses Oxford Biomedica's lentiviral vector technology

Gene and cell therapy firm Oxford Biomedica said on Tuesday that pharmaceutical giant Boehringer Ingelheim had exercised its option to license its lentiviral vector technology to manufacture, register and commercialise a treatment for cystic fibrosis.

Oxford Biomedica stated that under the terms of the option and license agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will pay it an option exercise fee of £3.5m, while also being entitled to further development, regulatory and sales milestones of up to an additional £27.5m and a "tiered low single-digit royalty" on net sales of the cystic fibrosis gene therapy product.

Boehringer's move follows on from the striking of a development and supply agreement between the pair in April, which covered the clinical manufacture of various types of viral vector-based products.

Elsewhere, the German pharmaceutical group also exercised an option to license intellectual property and know-how from IP Group and the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium in relation to the same lentiviral vector-based product candidate.

As of 0915 BST, Oxford Biomedica shares had inched ahead 0.33% to 1,494.92p.