SAN DIEGO, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pfenex Inc. today announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under its Broad Agency Announcement entitled “Vaccine Technologies to Advance Next Generation Anthrax Vaccines” (BAA-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2010104) has awarded Pfenex a contract to develop an alternative delivery method for Pfenex’s recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA)-based anthrax vaccine. NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, has made an initial award of $2.18 million to Pfenex with further funding of up to a total of $22.9 million available over the course of the contract if all options are exercised.
The NIAID contract (HHSN272201200033C) will support development of a dry formulation of a Pfenex-rPA formulated anthrax vaccine suitable for needle free delivery, which is anticipated to be stable for long term storage and facilitate ease of administration, overcoming two important logistical constraints of the currently available vaccine.
Under an existing BARDA contract, Pfenex has successfully developed a novel rPA that is highly immunogenic and protective in animal studies, with a scalable production process and robust yields, anticipated to allow dose and antigen sparing.
“Pfenex is pleased to be awarded this contract from NIAID to progress an additional development path for our anthrax vaccine program. We believe this important countermeasure effort can provide a solution to the US government quest to stockpile sufficient vaccine doses to rapidly respond to an anthrax biothreat,” stated Bertrand C. Liang, Chief Executive Officer. “A recombinant solution for the production of this strategically relevant product has been sought for a number of years, and with continued government support and partnership we are confident Pfenex can deliver that solution.”
About Pfenex Inc.
Pfenex Inc. is a protein production and product development company leveraging the unique and powerful Pfnex Expression Technology platform based on the microorganism, Pseudomonas fluorescens, for the production of research proteins, reagent proteins, biosimilars and innovator biopharmaceuticals. For more information please visit www.pfenex.com
SOURCE Pfenex Inc.
