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$1 Billion Development Agreement Announced for Emerging Infectious Disease or Medical Countermeasures

October 4, 2022 • 3:19 pm CDT
by Gerd Altmann
(Precision Vaccinations News)

California-based Vir Biotechnology, Inc. today announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded Vir a multi-year contract with the potential for up to $1 billion to advance the development of a full portfolio of innovative solutions to address influenza and potentially other infectious disease threats.

As part of BARDA’s ongoing effort to prepare and respond to public health emergencies, the agency will initially invest approximately $55 million for the continuing and rapid development of VIR-2482, an investigational prophylactic monoclonal antibody (mAb) designed to protect against seasonal and pandemic influenza.

In vitro, VIR-2482 has been shown to cover all significant strains of influenza A that have arisen since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.

This includes a Phase 2 pre-exposure prophylaxis trial expected to begin in the second half of 2022, with initial data anticipated in mid-2023. 

Bolyn Hubby, Ph.D., EVP, and chief corporate affairs officer at Vir Biotechnology, commented in a press release on October 4, 2022, “Today’s announcement represents the culmination of our ongoing dialogue with the U.S. government around our shared interest in protecting society from global infectious disease threats, and we are thrilled to embark on this broad, multi-year collaboration.”

The balance of the award is subject to BARDA exercising up to 12 options in further support of the development of pre-exposure prophylactic mAb, including and beyond VIR-2482 for the prevention of influenza illness or possibly supporting medical countermeasures for other pathogens of pandemic potential.

VIR-2482 has the potential to overcome the limitations of current flu vaccines and lead to meaningfully higher levels of protection due to its broad strain coverage and because it does not rely on an individual to create their protective antibody response.

VIR-2482, which incorporates Xencor’s Xtend™ Technology, also has been half-life engineered, so a single dose has the potential to last the entire influenza season.

Pandemic influenza is a contagious airborne respiratory disease, which is unpredictable in timing and severity and for which humans have little or no immunity.

Four influenza pandemics have occurred over the past century, the most severe being the 1918 “Spanish flu,” which is estimated to have caused up to 50 million deaths worldwide.

Under the collaboration agreement signed with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in 2021, GSK has an exclusive option to lead the post-Phase 2 development and commercialization of VIR-2482.

Please visit the latest Zoonotic Influenza News for additional information on Avian, Pandemic, and Swine influenza.

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