Sanofi to Acquire Origimm Biotechnology for Vaccine-based Acne Treatment

Sanofi has entered into an agreement to acquire Origimm Biotechnology, an Austria-based privately owned biotechnology company specializing in skin disease, which will boost Sanofi’s pipeline of vaccine candidates. The acquisition is expected to close in early December 2021.

Through the transaction, Sanofi will gain ORI-001, an early-stage therapeutic vaccine candidate in development for treating acne vulgaris. ORI-001 is based on recombinant proteins, which entered preliminary clinical studies in the third quarter of 2021, according to a Dec. 1, 2021 press release. Sanofi is also working in parallel to develop additional antigen versions and expects to leverage its next-generation messenger RNA platform in a comprehensive Phase I/II trial, expected to start in 2023.

“The acquisition of Origimm further broadens our vaccines R&D pipeline with a first vaccine candidate against acne, a high medical need for millions of teenagers and adults,” said Thomas Triomphe, executive vice-president, global head of Sanofi Pasteur, in the press release. “Welcoming Origimm within Sanofi expands our area of expertise by bringing extensive know-how in the field of skin microbiome and skin immunology. We look forward to unlocking the full potential of this candidate”.

“We are looking forward to combining our expertise and strengths to continue developing innovative solutions for prevention and treatment of the skin microbiome-associated diseases, such as common acne,” said Sanya Selak, founder and CEO/chief scientific officer of Origimm, in the press release. “Together with such a strong partner like Sanofi, we will strive to creating a paradigm shift in treatment of skin diseases and many other microbiome-associated disorders and infections, for which current medical solutions are inadequate.”

Source: Sanofi