Emergent BioSolutions gets $24M to fund anthrax MAb

US firm Emergent BioSolutions has received a contract from the Department of Health and Human Services for over $24.3 million to fund the further development of its anthrax monoclonal antibody AVP-21D9. This contract will be jointly administered through the Office of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

The four-year deal provides funding for scale-up of the manufacturing process, for non-clinical studies and for a Phase I trial. Emergent anticipates that it will receive around $20.0 million over the first two contract years. The company expects to focus on completing certain non-clinical studies during the final two years of the contract.