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news.Starpharma's VivaGel, a vaginal microbicide against sexually transmitted infections including HIV, has received a boost with the award of $20.3 million development funding by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
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VivaGel has already been successfully tested in a number of studies including a phase I human safety trial. This new funding will accelerate the progress of VivaGel to market, and means that VivaGel now has fully-external, non-shareholder funding through to the start of large-scale efficacy trials.
Significant commercial opportunity exists in North American and European markets along with great need in the developing world. Microbicides are expected to be of major importance in the fight against HIV and other STIs given the limited success of vaccine-based approaches to date, and the relatively low rates of condom use. VivaGel is a vaginal topical microbicide designed to prevent the transmission of STIs during intercourse, including HIV and genital herpes.
The funding was awarded by the NIAID after an independent, external review of the proposal to advance VivaGel through the clinical pipeline, by an international panel of experts in this field.
“In addition to funding the development of VivaGel, we believe that the relationship with the NIH will also provide access to key investigators and opinion leaders who will play a significant role in ensuring the successful development and commercialization of VivaGel” said Dr John Raff, CEO of Starpharma.