BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2005--XOMA Ltd. (Nasdaq:XOMA) today announced that it was awarded a $15 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to produce three botulinum neurotoxin monoclonal antibodies designed to protect U.S. citizens against the harmful effects of biological agents used in bioterrorism. Under the 18-month contract, XOMA will develop monoclonal antibody therapeutics using proprietary antibody expression systems to produce anti-type A-botulinum neurotoxin monoclonal antibodies including a Master Cell Bank (MCB), Manufacturer’s Working Cell Bank (MWCB) and other designated deliverables. The antibodies will be produced under Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) at XOMA’s manufacturing facility. This project will be 100% funded with Federal funds from NIAID under Contract No. HHSN266200500004C. SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute based in Menlo Park, CA, will be a subcontractor under this contract and will develop potency assays to support antibody characterization.
