AstraZeneca bolsters vaccine pipeline with US-biotech Omniose acquisition

Nov 10 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca has acquired Omniose, an early-stage biotechnology firm developing vaccines against serious bacterial infections, and folded the business into its infectious diseases division, the target company said on Tuesday.

• Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed

• The acquisition follows a three-year exclusive research collaboration between the companies

• The deal brings the US-based company's proprietary platform - which engineers and assembles bacterial vaccine components in a single process - under AstraZeneca's umbrella, boosting the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker's vaccine efforts

• "Omniose's bioconjugation platform represents a differentiated approach to engineering conjugate vaccines and strengthens our ability to develop novel vaccines against serious bacterial infections," said Benjamin Moutier, AstraZeneca's senior vice president of infectious disease

• Despite a diverse drug portfolio, AstraZeneca's on-market vaccine offerings are limited, and its CEO is refocusing on growth, with over 180 pipeline projects underpinning long-term ambitions

• AstraZeneca discontinued its Covid-19 vaccine in 2024, but now offers Beyfortus for respiratory syncytial virus infections and FluMist for influenza

• It is also exploring the development of cancer vaccines

(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)