GSK and Biological E Limited announced an agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture for the early stage research and development of a six-in-one combination paediatric vaccine “to help protect children in India and other developing countries from polio and other infectious diseases.”  The partnership “reinforces the commitment of both companies to support the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global polio eradication programme.” The companies said that, if approved, the vaccine, which would combine GSK’s injectable polio vaccine (IPV) and Biological E’s pentavalent vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (whole cell pertussis), hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b, “could be the first of its kind.” The fully liquid formulation of the vaccine “means it would be ready to use with no additional ingredients or materials required, freeing up space at local storage facilities.” The JV will bear the development costs for the candidate vaccine, which is expected to enter phase 1 development in the next two years. A small initial cash investment will be made by both companies to cover start-up costs for the JV and subsequent development costs will be split equally.

http://www.gsk.com/media/press-releases/2013/GSK-and-Biological-E-announce-joint-venture.html