Altimmune, Inc., and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) are set to advance the first clinical trial later this month of an anthrax vaccine that could be administered in a single dose.
The trial was initiated from a two-year, $14 million contract between BARDA and Altimmune. If the vaccine performs well during clinical studies, the contract would be extended an additional three years and up to a total of $120 million to support additional clinical and non-clinical studies and manufacturing.
The vaccine, NasoShield, is administered via intranasal spray instead of an injection. The vaccine utilizes a genetically-modified Adenovirus 5 its the delivery system. The non-infectious virus is modified to include genetic material from the anthrax bacteria genome needed to produce an immune response against anthrax.
“Fifteen years ago we experienced a U.S. public health crisis with anthrax-laden letters sent through the mail, and anthrax remains a bioterrorist threat today,” Richard Hatchett, acting director of BARDA, said. “The sooner people are protected by vaccine after being exposed to anthrax, the more lives we can save. A single dose vaccine is ideal to provide fast protection and peace of mind in the critical days after an incident.”