The recombinant botulinum (rBOT) vaccine grant is for the continued development, over a three-year period, of a serotype A and B recombinant botulinum vaccine. This is the first grant that Emergent BioSolutions has received for its botulinum vaccine program.
The next-generation anthrax vaccine (NGAV) grant provides important funding, over a five-year period, for animal model development and cGMP manufacturing of clinical lots of alternative formulations of a next generation anthrax vaccine, which may then be tested in a subsequent clinical trial.
Data from a completed Phase I trial indicate that this vaccine candidate may be the most potent anthrax vaccine ever tested in humans with the potential of providing protection with one or two doses. These results indicate that this vaccine is a promising next-generation anthrax vaccine candidate, particularly for possible use for post-exposure prophylaxis.
Daniel Abdun-Nabi, president and COO of Emergent BioSolutions, said: “We are very pleased that the The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), with these grants, has elected to support the continued development of both our rBOT and NGAV candidates. These are both important countermeasures that address critical biopreparedness requirements of the US government.”