The discovery program, part of the existing strategic collaboration with Johnson & Johnson, through its subsidiary Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, was signed in September 2009 for the development and commercialisation of a universal monoclonal antibody product for the treatment and prevention of influenza A.
Crucell said that the RSV vaccine will be designed to prevent severe infections with the most common RSV strains in infants and the elderly.
Ronald Brus, CEO of Crucell, said: “Crucell is delighted to work on developing a vaccine against RSV. A vaccine that prevents severe RSV infections and death in infants will be a tremendous advance for the paediatric vaccine field.
“We expect that an RSV vaccine will be the next frontier in children’s vaccines for inclusion in the routine immunization of newborns. Based on our continuously growing experience in the respiratory field, as well as our in-house expertise, we are confident that we can make great strides towards our goal of a best-in-class RSV vaccine.”