Biopharmaceutical company Soligenix has secured a contract worth $6.4m from the US Department of Health and Human Service's National Institutes of Health (NIH), for the advanced preclinical development of OrbeShield (oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate or oral BDP).
The contract specifically funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases or NIAID will support the development of OrbeShield as a medical countermeasure (MCM) for the treatment of gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI ARS).
The contract has a one year base period and has the option of extending to three years.
The contract covers all the development activities required to assess OrbeShield as a potential MCM to treat GI ARS.
Soligenix president and CEO Dr Christopher J Schaber said securing this highly competitive NIH contract provides further recognition as to the innovative quality and potential therapeutic impact of our technology.
"This contract award, in addition to the BARDA contract award recently received, has the potential to provide the necessary funding to advance the development of OrbeShield while building upon the scientific evidence supporting its use as a potential MCM for GI ARS, " Schaber added.
"We thank NIAID for their past and present support and look forward to collaborating closely with them as we advance this technology."
OrbeShield, formulated as a single product consisting of two tablets, is indicated for oral administration in GI ARS patients.
While one tablet releases BDP in the proximal portions of the GI tract, the other tablet releases BDP in the distal portions of the GI tract.
