U.S. Awards Grants to Develop New Anthrax Vaccine
Global Security Newswire
The U.S. National Institutes of Health yesterday awarded a $4.6 million grant to LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals to continue development of a new anthrax vaccine, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Aug. 22).
The Montana company plans to use the funding to prepare the vaccine for testing on humans, said Robert Goodwin, LigoCyte chief operating officer and executive vice president.
"We've developed the product candidate and the NIH has come on board and said 'this is something we would like to see get qualified for human trials,'" he said.
These trials usually take five to 10 years. "But because this deals with biodefense, there may be ways to shorten that," Goodwin added.
Goodwin said the grant is "fairly large by NIH standards" and shows the government's interests in improving on existing vaccines.
Unlike existing vaccines that must be injected, LigoCyte is working on a dry powder vaccine that would be inhaled and pass through nasal membranes, according to AP.
Initial animal tests have shown effectiveness after only one dose, the company said. The vaccine licensed by the Food and Drug Administration requires six shots (Associated Press/Billings Gazette, Oct. 3).
Meanwhile, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department has awarded Canadian biotech company Cangene a contract worth $400,000 to provide samples of its inhalation anthrax treatment, the Washington Post reported today.
The treatment will be tested for possible use in the national stockpile
The Cangene contract was in addition to a $1.8 million contract awarded yesterday to Human Genome Sciences for its proposed anthrax drug. Both contracts contain an option to purchase up to 100,000 doses under Project Bioshield, the Post reported (see GSN, Oct. 3; Washington Post, Oct. 4).
Elsewhere, Elusys Therapeutics is expected to begin clinical trials of its new anthrax drug in the coming weeks, according to a report on DrugResearcher.com.
The drug, called Anthim, targets the protective antigen of anthrax, stunting the agent's ability to form toxins. Early studies have shown that the drug is effective in lower doses than other drugs being developed. A single dose has shown to be 100-percent effective if given before exposure to the agent and increases survival rates if given within two days of exposure.
This low dose will allow the drug to be administered intramuscularly, the most effective route in emergencies, according to DrugResearcher.com (Wai Lang Chu, DrugResearcher.com, Oct. 4).
The U.S. National Institutes of Health yesterday awarded a $4.6 million grant to LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals to continue development of a new anthrax vaccine, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Aug. 22).
The Montana company plans to use the funding to prepare the vaccine for testing on humans, said Robert Goodwin, LigoCyte chief operating officer and executive vice president.
"We've developed the product candidate and the NIH has come on board and said 'this is something we would like to see get qualified for human trials,'" he said.
These trials usually take five to 10 years. "But because this deals with biodefense, there may be ways to shorten that," Goodwin added.
Goodwin said the grant is "fairly large by NIH standards" and shows the government's interests in improving on existing vaccines.
Unlike existing vaccines that must be injected, LigoCyte is working on a dry powder vaccine that would be inhaled and pass through nasal membranes, according to AP.
Initial animal tests have shown effectiveness after only one dose, the company said. The vaccine licensed by the Food and Drug Administration requires six shots (Associated Press/Billings Gazette, Oct. 3).
Meanwhile, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department has awarded Canadian biotech company Cangene a contract worth $400,000 to provide samples of its inhalation anthrax treatment, the Washington Post reported today.
The treatment will be tested for possible use in the national stockpile
The Cangene contract was in addition to a $1.8 million contract awarded yesterday to Human Genome Sciences for its proposed anthrax drug. Both contracts contain an option to purchase up to 100,000 doses under Project Bioshield, the Post reported (see GSN, Oct. 3; Washington Post, Oct. 4).
Elsewhere, Elusys Therapeutics is expected to begin clinical trials of its new anthrax drug in the coming weeks, according to a report on DrugResearcher.com.
The drug, called Anthim, targets the protective antigen of anthrax, stunting the agent's ability to form toxins. Early studies have shown that the drug is effective in lower doses than other drugs being developed. A single dose has shown to be 100-percent effective if given before exposure to the agent and increases survival rates if given within two days of exposure.
This low dose will allow the drug to be administered intramuscularly, the most effective route in emergencies, according to DrugResearcher.com (Wai Lang Chu, DrugResearcher.com, Oct. 4).
