Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a viral infection that can prove fatal to young children and the elderly and for which no preventive treatment by vaccine is currently available. According to the World Health Organization, around 160,000 people die worldwide from RSV every year.
“This collaboration is an excellent opportunity for Nobilon to use its expertise by joining forces with NVI to set up this unique Dutch biotechnology initiative,” said Toon Wilderbeek, member of Akzo Nobel’s board of management. “All preclinical development is planned for the next two years. Dependent on the results, further clinical development leading to registration will then be initiated.”
The two organizations will be supported by Organon, Akzo Nobel’s human healthcare business, which will provide clinical development and registration assistance.
“Respiratory syncytial virus is the main cause of respiratory infections and can cause serious illness in young children,” explained Ben van der Zeijst, chief scientific officer at the Netherlands Vaccine Institute (NVI). “Almost every child has the infection at a very early age and, in the most extreme cases, it can prove fatal, with a small number of children dying each year.”