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news.PharmAthene, a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, has announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded the company a multi-year contract for up to $83.9 million for advanced development of a third generation recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine.
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Under the contract, PharmAthene will receive initial funding of approximately $13.2 million during a ‘base period’ of performance. During this time the company will be responsible for preclinical activities, including, development and qualification of assays, stability testing, toxicology studies and development of non-clinical animal models.
During the base period National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) retains the option of extending the contract under two separate options with a combined value of up to $9.7 million.
Additional options covering advanced manufacturing and clinical development could bring the total potential value of the contract up to approximately $83.9 million, provided that certain milestones are achieved and that all contract options and extensions are exercised by the government.
The objective of the government’s third generation program is to develop a recombinant protective antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine which can be stored, transported and used without the need for a conventional cold chain – an important advantage for civilian biodefense deployment within the strategic national stockpile. In particular, the vaccine must maintain stability for three years at 35ºC and induce protective immunity in just one or two doses, the company said.
David Wright, president and CEO of PharmAthene, said: “PharmAthene has built a diversified portfolio of novel biodefense product candidates and we view this latest award as a direct validation of our technology as well as a reaffirmation of the US government’s commitment to the development and procurement of next generation medical countermeasure solutions.”