AVI BioPharma has filed a current report on Form 8-K with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
AVI-7100 was previously designated AVI-7367 and has been renumbered by AVI BioPharma, as a medical countermeasure against the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus (swine flu) in cooperation with the Transformational Medical Technologies program (TMT) of the US Department of Defense.
Reportedly, AVI BioPharma recently secured additional funding of up to approximately $4m under an amendment to a separate earlier contract with DTRA to support, in cooperation with TMT, expanded preclinical evaluation of AVI-7100 against H1N1, H5N1 (avian flu), and drug resistant H1N1 and H3N2 flu strains.
AVI BioPharma said that the contract provides for funding of up to $18m to advance the development of AVI-7100, including studies enabling an investigational new drug (IND) application with the FDA, the study of an intranasal delivery formulation, and the funding of a Phase 1 clinical trial to obtain human safety data to support potential use under an Emergency Use Authorisation.