Anivive Receives NIAID Contract Worth Up to $33M to Progress Valley Fever Vaccine

LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – Anivive Lifesciences Inc, a One Health technology company today announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded Anivive a new contract (#75N93024C00009) worth up to $33M to support the development of a vaccine against the fungus Coccidioides, which causes Valley Fever.

Contract funding aims to utilize the underlying science in Anivive’s animal health Valley Fever vaccine for dogs, currently under review by USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics, to develop a similar vaccine for humans. The funding will address IND-enabling activities, including additional manufacturing, formulation, extensive safety testing, and an IND submission, before then completing a human Phase 1 clinical trial.

Rising temperatures and extreme weather are setting the stage for increases in fungal diseases. Recognizing the growing global public health problem, in 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever list of fungal “priority pathogens,” calling for policy improvements and research in such areas as fungal disease distribution, patterns of antifungal resistance, and who is most at risk of exposure and disease. Currently, there are no antifungal vaccines approved for human or animal use.

“Anivive is honored to receive this NIAID contract, which will greatly accelerate our efforts to commercialize a vaccine to protect people against Valley Fever,” said Dr. Edward Robb, Anivive Lifesciences Chief Strategy Officer and Principal Investigator. “This collaborative effort has delivered a significant step forward in the field of vaccinology and holds the potential to be the first vaccine to prevent a serious systemic fungal infection common to humans and animals,” said Robb. 

Anivive has built a strong research team to catalyze this breakthrough and deliver a first-in-class solution for an emerging fungal disease. Additionally, this program is supported by: Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona College of Medicine for the non-clinical development, Recipharm for the contract manufacturing, Quigley BioPharma for vaccine development support and Latham BioPharm Group, part of Sia Partners for the program management, financial compliance, quality assurance and additional technical subject matter expertise.

About Anivive Lifesciences 

Anivive is a pet pharmaceutical company at the intersection of biotech, AI, software, and veterinary medicine. Our proprietary software platform accelerates the development of new, affordable diagnostics, treatments and preventatives for various life-threatening diseases in pets. Anivive’s pipeline includes 8+ first-in-class technologies for three critical areas: Oncology, virology and infectious disease. Anivive is a privately held company based in Long Beach, California. Visit www.anivive.com to learn more. 

About Recipharm

Recipharm is a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) in the pharmaceutical industry employing over 7,000 employees. Recipharm offers manufacturing services of pharmaceuticals and biologics in various dosage forms, production of clinical trial material and APIs, pharmaceutical product development and development and manufacturing of medical devices. Recipharm manufactures several hundred different products for customers ranging from big pharma to smaller research and development companies. The company operates development and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden

About Quigley BioPharma LLC

Quigley BioPharma LLC (Quigley) is a Contract Product Development Organization specializing in strategies to streamline and accelerate advanced development of biological products for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, cancer and allergies. Quigleys unique, industry-experienced, multi-disciplinary development team with 10 successful product launches offers a turnkey solution to public and private biotechnology and pharmaceutical enterprises allowing flexibility in resource allocation and enhanced return on investment.

About Latham BioPharm Group 

Latham BioPharm Group (LBG) is a leading life science consulting company that works with pharmaceutical, biotech, CROs, academia, and medical device/diagnostic companies alike to solve complex business, regulatory, and product development challenges.

About University of Arizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence 

The Arizona Board of Regents established the UA Valley Fever Center for Excellence in 1996 for the benefit of the entire state. Based at the UA Health Sciences campus—which includes the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, College of Pharmacy, College of Nursing and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health—the center has developed a research base that includes the state’s three universities, and an information program for the scientific community and the general public. Its work encompasses public awareness, clinical guidelines and training, and research into rapid detection methods for the disease as well as development of a vaccine for both animals and humans.

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SOURCE Anivive Lifesciences Inc.