NIAID extends funding for development of GI ARS treatment

Soligenix has announced that it will receive an additional $2.1 million in funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to advance development of a treatment for gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome, according to a press release.

Now totaling up to $6.4 million over 3 years, the initial contract award was $2.1 million in September 2013 to fund the preclinical development of oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate (oral BDP [OrbeShield]), a medical countermeasure (MCM) for treating gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI ARS).

In addition to funding from NIAID, Soligenix’s GI ARS program also is supported by $32 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA). Soligenix, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, is pursuing other indications for oral BDP, including treatment for GI inflammation associated with pediatric Crohn’s disease, acute radiation enteritis and chronic graft-versus-host disease.

“The execution of the first option reflects NIAID’s ongoing commitment to developing MCMs for GI ARS and the compelling nature of Soligenix’s OrbeShield product,” Christopher J. Schaber, PhD, president and CEO of Soligenix, said in the release. “This continued funding, plus the BARDA contract awarded last year, has the potential to provide the necessary funding to advance the development of OrbeShield, while building upon the scientific evidence supporting its use as a potential MCM in GI ARS. We thank NIAID for their past and present support and look forward to continuing our close collaboration as we advance this technology.”