Full Press Release Details
Melbourne, Australia, February 17, 2026: Immuron Limited
(ASX: IMC; NASDAQ: IMRN) is pleased to advise that it has received its R&D Tax Incentive of A$1,121,885 for eligible activities conducted
during financial year ending June 30, 2025.
The Australian Government's Research and Development
Tax Incentive is a program to encourage businesses to undertake research and development (R&D) activities and provides eligible companies
with cash refunds for 43.5% of eligible expenditure on research and development activities.
This R&D Tax Incentive provides non-dilutive funding,
allowing the Company to invest for growth in sales and profitability while maintaining financial flexibility.
is planning growth in profitability1 of Hyper-Immune products
net of planned increased investment in selling & marketing. This combined with cost reduction initiatives is targeting improvement
in EBITDX (ex-R&D)2 in FY26.
This release has been authorised by the directors
Chief Executive Officer
Immuron Limited (ASX: IMC,
NASDAQ: IMRN), is an Australian biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing orally delivered targeted polyclonal
antibodies for the treatment of infectious diseases.
is an orally administered passive immunotherapy that prophylactically reduces the likelihood of contracting travelers' diarrhea,
a digestive tract disorder that is commonly caused by pathogenic bacteria and the toxins they produce.
Travelan is a highly purified tabletized preparation of hyper immune bovine antibodies and other factors, which when taken with
meals bind to diarrhea-causing bacteria and prevent colonization and the pathology associated with travelers' diarrhea. In Australia,
Travelan is a listed medicine on the Australian Register for Therapeutic Goods (AUST L 106709) and is indicated to reduce the risk
of Travelers' Diarrhea, reduce the risk of minor gastro-intestinal disorders and is antimicrobial. In Canada, Travelan is
a licensed natural health product (NPN 80046016) and is indicated to reduce the risk of Travelers' Diarrhea. In the U.S., Travelan
is sold as a dietary supplement for digestive tract protection.
TD is generally defined
as the passage of 3 unformed stools per 24 hours plus at least one additional symptom (such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps,
fever, blood/mucus in the stools, or fecal urgency) that develop while abroad or within 10 days of returning from any resource-limited
destinations (Leung et al., 2006). Diarrhea continues to be the most
frequent health problem among travelers to destinations in lower- and middle-income regions (Steffen,
2017). Deployed US military personnel, essentially representing a long-term traveller population, are particularly affected given
their population dynamics and the context in which they seek care and treatment (Connor
et al., 2012). Diarrhea is the leading infectious disease threat to the overall health and preparedness of deployed US armed forces,
with diarrheagenic E. coli, Campylobacter spp., and Shigella spp. among the most commonly reported etiologies (Riddle
Immuron Platform Technology
Immuron's proprietary
technology is based on polyclonal immunoglobulins (IgG) derived from engineered hyper-immune bovine colostrum. Immuron has the capability
of producing highly specific immunoglobulins to any enteric pathogen and our products are orally active. Bovine IgG can withstand the
acidic environment of the stomach and is resistant to proteolysis by the digestive enzymes found in the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Bovine
IgG also possesses this unique ability to remain active in the human GI tract delivering its full benefits directly to the bacteria found
there. The underlying nature of Immuron's platform technology enables the development of medicines across a large range of infectious
diseases. The platform can be used to block viruses or bacteria at mucosal surfaces such as the Gastrointestinal tract and neutralize
the toxins they produce.
IMM-124E (Travelan )
IMM-124E was developed
using Immuron's platform technology. IMM-124E is produced from the colostrum of birthing cattle that have been immunised during
pregnancy with a vaccine containing the outer antigens of multiple human derived ETEC. A total of 13 ETEC strains are used in the vaccine
to produce high levels of antibodies against selected surface antigens from the most common strains of ETEC. (Otto
The resultant hyperimmune
colostrum IMM-124E from ETEC vaccinated cows contains significant levels of polyclonal antibodies specific for ETEC antigens LPS, CFA-I
and Flagellin (Sears et al., 2017).
The antibodies produced
in IMM-124E have been found to have a stronger binding and neutralizing activity (than the antibodies of unvaccinated cattle) against
a wide range of LPS antigens including both the variable O-polysaccharide region and the preserved oligosaccharide core R'
region of LPS from the 13 serotypes used in the ETEC vaccine.
IMM-124E is manufactured
into a tablet form referred to as Travelan .
Immuron is developing IMM-529 as an adjunctive
therapy in combination with standard of care antibiotics for the prevention and/or treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection
(CDI). IMM-529 antibodies targeting Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) may help to clear CDI infection and promote a quicker re-establishment
of normal gut flora, providing an attractive oral preventative for recurrent CDI.
Immuron is collaborating with Dr. Dena Lyras
and her team at Monash University, Australia to develop vaccines to produce bovine colostrum-derived antibodies. Dairy cows were immunised
to generate hyperimmune bovine colostrum (HBC) that contains antibodies targeting three essential C. diff virulence components. IMM-529
targets Toxin B (TcB), the spores and the surface layer proteins of the vegetative cells.
This unique 3-target approach has yielded promising
results in pre-clinical infection and relapse models, including (1) Prevention of primary disease (80% P =0.0052); (2) Protection of disease
recurrence (67%, P <0.01) and (3) Treatment of primary disease (78.6%, P<0.0001; TcB HBC). Importantly IMM-529 antibodies cross-react
with whole cell lysates of many different human strains of C. diff including hypervirulent strains.
To our knowledge, IMM-529 is, to date, the only
investigational drug that has shown therapeutic potential in all three phases of the disease (Hutton
Immuron has an exclusive distribution agreement
with Calmino goup AB for the territories of Australia and New Zealand for ProIBS . ProIBS - to help patients treat IBS symptoms
ProIBS is a certified medical device for the treatment of IBS symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating and unsettled bowel movements
(diarrhoea and/or constipation). ProIBS contains AVH200 , derived from the plant Aloe barbadensis. Mill. AVH200 has gel
forming components which support the intestinal mucosal barrier. As IBS is known to affect individuals for a long period of time, it is
essential to have a treatment appropriate for long-term use -as ProIBS is. The product is safe, and no interactions with other
medications are known. Science-driven innovative Calmino group AB, the developer of ProIBS , conducted a usability study among 1,003
users. PROIBS was helpful for 94% of them. 91% of the users experienced an improvement in daily life and 98% would recommend PROIBS
to someone else. To learn more please check: www.proibs.eu.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition
where you experience symptoms related to your digestive system. This is sometimes linked to certain foods, lifestyle habits and stress
levels or mood. IBS affects around 3 out of every 10 people. Females are more likely than males to be affected. Some key symptoms of IBS
include: abdominal pain or discomfort; stomach bloating and wind; chronic diarrhoea or constipation, or alternating between the two.(healthdirect.gov.au)
According to available data, the IBS treatment market in Australia is estimated to be a part of the broader "Digestives & Intestinal
Remedies" market, generating a revenue of around AU$221.14 million in 2025, with a projected annual growth rate of 3.28%.(Statista)
1. Segment reporting; excludes
Research & Development and Corporate segments
2. Earnings before Interest
Tax Depreciation and FX and ex-R&D: Research & Development expenses, R&D Tax Incentive and R&D grants
Connor P, Porter CK, Swierczewski
B and Riddle MS. Diarrhea during military deployment: current concepts and future directions. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 25(5): 546-54; 2012.
Hutton, M.L., Cunningham,
B.A., Mackin, K.E. et al. Bovine antibodies targeting primary and recurrent Clostridium difficile disease are a potent antibiotic alternative.
Sci Rep 7, 3665 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-03982-5
Leung AK, Robson WL, Davies
HD. Travelers' diarrhea. Adv Ther. Jul-Aug; 23(4): 519-27; 2006
Otto W, Najnigier B, Stelmasiak
T and Robins-Browne RM. Randomized control trials using a tablet formulation of hyperimmune bovine colostrum to prevent diarrhea caused
by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in volunteers Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 46: 862- 868; 2011.
Riddle MS, Sanders JW,