Acambis plc has concluded an agreement with Cangene Corporation to market Cangene's vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) product in markets outside North America and Israel. Cangene and Acambis will work together to supply this important product.

Cangene is currently supplying VIG under contract to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). VIG is used in treating and preventing most severe reactions that may be brought on by the administration of smallpox vaccine. VIG is an antibody product manufactured from human plasma collected from individuals who have been vaccinated with a smallpox vaccine. Cangene is conducting clinical trials in order to apply for US Food and Drug Administration licensure of the product.

Dr John Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Acambis, said: "Acambis is already at the forefront of efforts to combat the threat of smallpox used as a bioterrorist weapon. VIG is a key part of any government program to protect against the threat of smallpox and Cangene's VIG perfectly complements our ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine."

Dr John Langstaff, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cangene Corporation, commented: "We are very pleased to expand our working relationship with Acambis and this agreement builds on the current work of filling Acambis' smallpox vaccine at our subsidiary Chesapeake Biological Laboratories Inc in Baltimore, Maryland."