Intercell Buys Vaccines Firm

Intercell will acquire the Gaithersburg, Md.-based vaccine firm Iomai in an all-stock deal valued at $189 million. Intercell says the purchase will diversify its vaccine portfolio, expanding its pipeline by three clinical and three preclinical vaccine candidates. In the deal, Iomai contributes an immunostimulant vaccine patch in Phase II trials for pandemic flu and a vaccine for traveler's diarrhea that is slated to enter Phase III trials in the first half of next year. Intercell says the traveler's diarrhea vaccine will complement its Japanese encephalitis vaccine, which is currently under FDA review. Intercell also gains needle-free vaccine delivery technology that it plans to apply to other vaccines in its development pipeline.