US government awards $1.4bn for development of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics
24 Aug 2023
Vaccine
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Source: PMLiVE
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that it has awarded over $1.4bn for the development of new vaccines and therapies against COVID-19.
As part of a $5bn initiative called ‘Project NextGen’, the funding will support clinical trials to enable the rapid development of more effective and longer-lasting COVID-19 vaccines, a new monoclonal antibody, and transformative technologies to streamline manufacturing processes.
"As the virus continues to evolve, we need new tools that keep pace with those changes," said assistant secretary for preparedness and response, Dawn O’Connell.
Project NextGen is led by HHS’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s (ASPR) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
O’Connell added: "Project NextGen combines the research and development expertise at HHS with the lessons we have learned about the virus throughout the pandemic – strengthening our preparedness for whatever comes next."
Coordinating across the federal government and the private sector, the project aims to better understand COVID-19, with HHS developing, using and re-evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of current vaccines and therapeutics from the past three years.
The funding includes $1bn for four mid-stage clinical trials of new COVID-19 vaccines, and $100m to a non-profit organisation that invests in new technologies to accelerate responses to diseases, the Global Health Investment Corp.
"These awards are a catalyst for the programme – kickstarting efforts to more quickly develop vaccines and continue to ensure availability of effective treatments," said HHS secretary, Xavier Becerra.
Also included in the funding is a $326m contract with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for the development of its next-generation antibody therapy for the prevention of COVID-19 infections.
Regeneron previously developed a monoclonal antibody therapy against COVID-19, REGEN-COV, which was authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration in November 2020. The therapy’s use was limited at the beginning of 2022 after it was found to be ineffective against the Omicron variant.
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