The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a pathogen that first emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012 before spreading to other countries. Patients infected with this disease tend to suffer from severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Currently, there are no dedicated vaccines for this condition, but a new partnership hopes to change that.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the department of Health and Human Services, will collaborate on developing two antibodies designed to prevent and treat individuals diagnosed with this infection.
In the deal BARDA will provide up to $8.9 million to help fund Regeneron’s manufacturing plan, an IND submission, and a clinical trial to be run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported FierceBiotech.
Regeneron discovered these antibodies through a previous deal with Sanofi, which can be subjected to opt-in rights from development and commercialization by Sanofi.
No details have been revealed about when this trial for the vaccine would start.
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
