Ribi ImmunoChem Research Inc. announced Friday that it hasentered into a co-exclusive license and supply with AmericanCyanamid Co. concerning its vaccine adjuvants. AmericanCyanamid is Ribi's third supply customer for its vaccineadjuvants.Ribi (NASDAQ:RIBI) of Hamilton, Mont., will receive anundisclosed annual license fee from Cyanamid in addition totransfer payments for supply of the adjuvants and royalties onsales of any vaccine containing them. Cyanamid is planning touse the adjuvants primarily in a number of pediatric bacterialand viral vaccines, including pertussis, Haemophilusinfluenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The vaccines areunder development by Cyanamid, and the license and supplyagreement is contingent upon regulatory approval of theproducts. Ribi estimates a potential market for the vaccines at7.6 million children in the U.S. and Europe.The company has three core adjuvants, said Ribi's manager ofcorporate information, Jeffrey McDowell. MPLimmunostimulant is a modified derivative of gram negativeendotoxin. Cell wall skeleton (CWS), another adjuvant, isderived from mycobacteria. Finally, the company's trehalosedimycolate (TDM) is derived from the cell wall structure ofmycobacteria.SmithKline Beecham is the co-licensee of the adjuvants forsimilar applications under an agreement the company enteredinto in December 1992. In addition, SmithKline is theexclusive licensee of Ribi's adjuvants for a number of adultviral vaccines. Biomira Inc. of Edmonton, Alberta, licensedadjuvants to Ribi about the same time for use in cancervaccines.032194 Ribi

-- Karl A. Thiel Business Editor

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.