partners with multinational to construct new poult

ASX ANNOUNCEMENT Imugene Partners with Multinational to Construct New Poultry Vaccine Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd will evaluate Imugene's Vector Delivery System for a new Poultry Coccidiosis Vaccine 6 December 2005, Sydney: Imugene (ASX: IMU) and Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd., the animal health division of Israeli-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., have signed an agreement to develop and evaluate a new vaccine for the poultry coccidiosis prevention market. Imugene will construct vaccine candidates which will then be trialled at the University of Technology Sydney. Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd is funding the vaccine product development feasibility study which will combine Imugene’s patented Adenoviral Vector Delivery System with patented coccidia genes supplied and owned by Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd. Coccidiosis is one of the most common and costly diseases in poultry and is prevalent worldwide. Apart from causing weight loss and poor feed conversion, the death rate in chicks and in adult birds can also be high. A ‘non-vectored’ sub-unit coccidia vaccine is currently sold by Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd for the poultry broiler breeder markets, for the maternal immunization of their offspring chicks in various countries. Imugene’s Vector Delivery System has the potential to allow a successful vaccine to be introduced to the much larger broiler markets by making the vaccine suitable and cost effective for administration on a large scale. The new vaccine upon successful completion will enable the expansion of coccidiosis treatment from the small numbers of breeding and laying poultry to the massive broiler populations. Upon successful completion of the trials and license negotiations and obtaining marketing authorisation Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd will produce, sell and distribute the vectored coccidia vaccine with Imugene receiving royalty income. Abic is represented in the major poultry producing regions of the world. Perth Office Sydney Office
Level 20, Allendale Square Registered Office
77 St Georges Terrace Level 1, 14 – 20 Delhi Road
Perth WA 6000 North Ryde NSW 2113
Tel: +61 8 9440 2660 Tel:+61 2 9870 7330
Fax: +61 8 9440 2699 Fax:+61 2 9888 9338
ABN: 99 009 179 551 www.imugene.com
"Licensing Imugene's technology to deliver patented genes owned by other companies is a pragmatic means of building our license revenue streams. This arrangement introduces potential exposure to a major existing market, estimated at several hundreds of millions US dollars per annum," said Dr Warwick Lamb, Managing Director of Imugene. END About Abic Biological Laboratories Teva Ltd Abic is a quality producer of pharmaceuticals and veterinary products. Abic Biological Laboratories is wholly owned by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. The veterinary division under the name of Abic has emerged as a major force in the Israeli veterinary market. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, headquartered in Israel, is among the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and among the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Company develops, manufactures and markets generic and innovative human pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Close to 90% of Teva’s sales are in North America and Europe. About Coccidiosis Coccidia is the second biggest poultry treatment product category, second only to in-feed antibiotics. The end product will be an overwhelming commercial proposition to poultry producers as its low cost of delivery to large poulty populations will position the vaccine to capture a major share of the market. Current treatments for the disease in broilers is through the use of ‘coccidiostats’, a range of chemicals that control rather than completely prevent coccidiosis. Current coccidiostats are rapidly declining in efficacy due to developing resistance. Use of coccidiostats is under increasing pressure from regulatory authorities and consumers. Chemical residues are of concern as is the constant emergence of resistant variants. However, since coccidiosis has such a dramatic impact on commercial poultry production it is unlikely that poultry industries will be forced to cease coccidiostat use unless there is a credible alternative like an effective and an economically viable to use vaccine. Coccidiosis in chickens is caused by seven different species of coccidia (genus Eimeria), which are single celled parasites that live in the gut wall of their host. These coccidia are host specific: turkeys and other species are not infected by fowl coccidia and vice-versa. The different species of coccidia live in different parts of the gut and can be divided into those causing intestinal coccidiosis (the majority) or caecal coccidiosis (one species). Page 2 of 3
About Imugene Imugene specialises in commercialising animal health products for production animals including pigs and poultry. Imugene owns the worldwide rights to the Fowl Adenoviral Vector Delivery System for poultry and the Porcine Adenoviral Vector Delivery System for pigs. Imugene has successfully licensed the first product based on the Fowl Adenoviral Vector Delivery System - the Poultry Productivity Enhancer. Imugene's poultry and pig portfolio is targeting a worldwide US$3 billion annual market with four lead vaccine products under development and a strong product pipeline. Consumer demands for disease free and residue free food will bolster Imugene's prospects. Imugene's products safely prevent disease and reduce or eliminate antibiotics and harmful chemicals in animals. Animal antibiotics and chemicals in the human food chain have been linked to the emergence of dangerous resistant bacteria in people and food residues. For more information please visit the Imugene Website www.imugene.com For more information: Dr Warwick Lamb Mr. Graham Dowland Mr. Rudi Michelson Managing Director Executive Chairman Monsoon Communications +61 2 9870 7330 +61 8 9440 2660 +61 3 9620 3333 Page 3 of 3