Takeda secures $312 million zika vaccine development contract
pharmafile | September 5, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Takeda, US government, Zika, world health organization
Takeda has announced that it has been granted a $312 million contract from the US government to develop an inactivated, adjuvanted, whole vaccine against the zika virus.
Takeda’s Vaccine Business Unit was selected by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop the vaccine and will provide initial funding of $19.8 million to cover preclinical research and manufacturing through Phase I studies. The total funding will be received if BARDA exercises all options to take the vaccine through Phase III trials and the filing of a marketing application in the US.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared zika a public health emergency of international concern on 1 February, 2016, with the virus spreading into more than 60 countries and territories.
“The zika emergency demands swift action by governments, public health agencies, medical and scientific communities, industry and others, and partnerships are essential for success,” said Dr Rajeev Venkayya, corporate officer and president of the Global Vaccine Business Unit at Takeda. “Working with BARDA, Takeda is deploying its world-class expertise and capabilities in vaccine development for emerging infectious diseases, and our outstanding team and manufacturing facilities in Hikari, Japan. This Zika vaccine program joins our work in dengue, norovirus, our partnership with the Japanese Government on pandemic influenza, and the recently announced partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help eradicate polio. These efforts to develop a vaccine against the Zika virus reinforce Takeda’s commitment to the health of people everywhere, including the most vulnerable populations that are threatened by Zika.”
The drugmaker indicated that it is also in discussions with the Japanese government about the country’s health agencies participating in the collaboration.
Matt Fellows
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