ILiAD Biotechnologies, a biotech company developing the most advanced next-generation pertussis vaccine (BPZE1), announced today that Fierce Biotech has named the company to its Fierce 15 2024 list, recognizing ILiAD as one of the most promising and innovative biotechnology companies in the industry.
ILiAD’s BPZE1 intranasal pertussis vaccine has undergone four Phase 2 clinical trials in adults and school-age children, demonstrating safety, induction of both mucosal and systemic antibody responses, and protection against B. pertussis colonization from both attenuated and virulent B. pertussis challenge. Despite being 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 worldwide, highlighting the need for a new pertussis vaccine with greater 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 developing the first pertussis vaccine to demonstrate prevention of nasal colonization in a virulent controlled human infection model (CHIM). This achievement is crucial, as studies suggest that B. pertussis transmission, including to vulnerable infants, often occurs from individuals colonized with B. pertussis but without classic whooping cough symptoms.
ILiAD has raised over $100 million 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 worldwide for its annual Fierce 15 list, based on factors such as technology strength, partnerships, venture backers, and competitive market position. Past winners include biotechs that have grown to over $5 billion in market capitalization, such as Moderna, MyoKardia, Acceleron Pharma, and CRISPR Therapeutics. Many Fierce 15 recipients have also been acquired by large pharmaceutical companies, including Teva, Sanofi, GSK, Gilead, J&J, Bristol Myers Squibb, and AstraZeneca.
ILiAD Biotechnologies (http://www.iliadbio.com) is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to preventing and treating human diseases caused by Bordetella pertussis. The company is developing and acquiring key technologies, collaborating with leading scientists to overcome the limitations of current vaccines, investigating the impact of B. pertussis in various human diseases, and focusing on validating its proprietary vaccines in human clinical trials.
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a life-threatening disease caused by the highly contagious respiratory bacterium Bordetella pertussis. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pertussis affects approximately 16 million people globally each year, resulting in nearly 200,000 deaths. Although the estimated global vaccination coverage is 84%, current vaccines have failed to control epidemics.
