ILiAD Biotechnologies, LLC (ILiAD), a biotech company developing the most advanced next generation pertussis vaccine (BPZE1), announced today that Fierce Biotech has named the Company to the Fierce 15 2024 list (link), identifying ILiAD as one of the most promising and innovative biotechnology companies in the industry.

ILiAD’s BPZE1 intranasal pertussis vaccine has been studied in four Phase 2 clinical trials in adults and school age children and has demonstrated safety, induction of both mucosal and systemic antibody responses, and protection against B. pertussis colonization from both attenuated and virulent B. pertussis challenge. Although pertussis is underappreciated and underdiagnosed, the WHO has identified pertussis as the most prevalent vaccine-preventable disease of children. In 2024, despite high global vaccination rates with current pertussis vaccines, major pertussis outbreaks have been observed around the world, reinforcing the need for a new pertussis vaccine with greater vaccine durability and the ability to prevent transmission to vulnerable individuals.

Keith Rubin, M.D., ILiAD Chief Executive Officer and Founder remarked, “We are grateful to be recognized as a Fierce 15 company. From day one, we have been resolute in our mission to eradicate all disease due to B. Pertussis. Fierce Biotech’s recognition of these efforts and our progress affirms the great work of our dedicated team and the potential of BPZE1 to positively impact global public health.”

Since its founding in 2012, ILiAD has achieved numerous scientific milestones, including development of the first pertussis vaccine to demonstrate prevention of nasal colonization in a virulent controlled human infection model (CHIM). The importance of this achievement is highlighted by studies suggesting that B. pertussis transmission, including transmission to vulnerable infants, often occurs from individuals who are colonized with B. pertussis but do not have classic whooping cough symptoms.

ILiAD has raised over $100M in financing to date.

Fierce Biotech is an internationally recognized daily report reaching a network of over 450,000 biotech and pharma industry professionals. Every year Fierce Biotech evaluates hundreds of early-stage companies from around the world for its annual Fierce 15 list, which is based on a variety of factors such as the strength of technology, partnerships, venture backers and competitive market position. Past winners include biotechs that have gone on to have greater than $5 billion in market capitalization, including Moderna, MyoKardia, Acceleron Pharma, and CRISPR Therapeutics. A substantial number of Fierce 15 recipients have also subsequently been acquired by large pharmaceutical companies, including Teva, Sanofi, GSK, Gilead, J&J, Bristol Myers Squibb and Astra Zeneca.

About ILiAD Biotechnologies, LLC

ILiAD Biotechnologies (http://www.iliadbio.com) is a privately held, clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to the prevention and treatment of human disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. The company is developing and acquiring key technologies, working with leading scientists to overcome the limitations of current vaccines, investigating the impact of B. pertussis in a range of human disease, and is focused on validating its proprietary vaccines in human clinical trials.

About Pertussis

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a life-threatening disease caused by the highly contagious respiratory bacterium Bordetella pertussis. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year pertussis affects approximately 16 million people globally, accounting for nearly 200,000 deaths. Although estimated global vaccination coverage is 84%, current vaccines have failed to control epidemics.

About BPZE1

BPZE1 is a next-generation live-attenuated pertussis vaccine designed to induce comprehensive and durable protection against B. pertussis infection (colonization) and disease (whooping cough). BPZE1 is being developed to block B. pertussis from colonizing the nasal passages of adults and children, to protect adults and children from whooping cough, and to potentially prevent transmission, including transmission to infants. While ILiAD is currently focused on developing a vaccine to directly protect adults and children and to indirectly protect vulnerable infants, future development aims to immunize neonates directly. BPZE1 was developed at the Institut Pasteur de Lille (France) in the lab of Camille Locht PhD and Nathalie Mielcarek PhD.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

In addition to historical facts or statements of current, this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide ILiAD’s current expectations or forecasts of future events. These may include statements regarding anticipated development of potential products, interpretation of clinical results, prospects for regulatory approval, outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical industry, levels of industry research and development spending, rapid technological change, risks associated with acquisitions and investments, risks associated directly with BPZE technologies including but not limited to uncertainties of product development, and uncertainties of clinical development, dependence on third parties, competition, protection of patents and proprietary technology, potential for infringement and other statements regarding matters that are not historical fact. Some of these forward-looking statements may be identified by use of words in the statements such as “estimate,” “intend,” or other words and terms of similar meaning. Statements in this release are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in such forward-looking statements. ILiAD cautions investors not to place reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. These statements speak only as of the date of this release and ILiAD undertakes no obligations to update or review these statements, except as may be required by law.

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