September 9, 2020 -- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, awarded a contract, valued at up to $20.6 million, to Eveliqure Biotechnologies to advance the development of its Shigella and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) vaccine.
The funding will allow the company to develop the ShigETEC, an orally administered vaccine candidate that offers broad protection against Shigella and ETEC, through phase II clinical testing. ShigETEC is derived from a live attenuated Shigella vaccine strain rationally designed to address the shortcomings of previous vaccine attempts and protects against both pathogens.
Shigella and ETEC are two major pathogens of diarrheal diseases among children under the age of five living in low- and middle-income countries.
The institute awarded a base award of $215,093 with a total contract value of $20.6 million if all contract options are exercised. The options cover milestones, like covering the investigational new drug filing at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, manufacturing clinical trial material, and several human challenge studies to prove the vaccine's effectiveness.