18 January 2012 - Vivalis SA (EPA:VLS) said on Tuesday that it had signed an extension to its June 2010 agreement with Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines unit of France's Sanofi (EPA:SAN), for the discovery of a fully human monoclonal antibody against an undisclosed infectious disease target.

Under the agreement, Sanofi Pasteur has exclusive access to Vivalis' platform for the discovery of human monoclonal antibodies against a number of infectious disease targets, and will obtain worldwide exclusive development and commercialisation rights for the discovered antibodies.

For the new target, VIVALIS is entitled to receive development milestone payments of up to EUR35m (USD44.6m), plus royalty payments on future sales. Additionally, Sanofi Pasteur will continue to provide the financing for the partnership's research activities.

(EUR1 = USD1.276)