Vical Incorporated announced an exclusive, binding letter of intent with EIP Eczacibasi Ilac Pazarlama AS (EIP) for sales and marketing of the company's Allovectin-7 immunotherapeutic product candidate in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. EIP has agreed to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals for the territory and to pay Vical upfront and milestone payments plus a specified transfer price in exchange for the rights to an exclusive license for the territory. EIP is a leading Turkish pharmaceutical company and has multiple licensing agreements with major biotech and pharmaceutical companies including Amgen, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, and sanofi-aventis.

Vijay B Samant, Vical's president and chief executive officer, said, "As we advance toward completion of enrolment in our phase-3 trial of Allovectin-7 in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma, we are also looking ahead to commercialization opportunities in key global markets. As an established pharmaceutical company in Turkey with a significant cancer franchise, EIP has the expertise to guide Allovectin-7 through the Turkish approval process and the strength to launch and sell Allovectin-7 successfully in the Turkish market. We continue to explore licensing and distribution agreements in additional international markets."

Allovectin-7 is a plasmid/lipid complex containing the DNA sequences encoding HLA-B7 and beta-2 microglobulin, which together form a class I Major Histocompatibility Complex, or MHC-I antigen.

EIP is part of the Eczacibasi Group, a prominent Turkish industrial group of companies primarily involved in healthcare, consumer products, and building products. EIP focuses on sales and marketing of imported pharmaceuticals in specific therapeutic areas and has multiple licensing agreements with leading biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

Vical researches and develops biopharmaceutical products based on its patented DNA delivery technologies for the prevention and treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases.