AVANT to Develop an Oral Anthrax and Plague Vaccine for U.S. Department of Defense
NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2003--AVANT
Immunotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVAN) today announced it has been
awarded a subcontract to develop for the U.S. Department of Defense an
oral combination vaccine against anthrax and plague using AVANT's
proprietary vaccine technologies. Under the agreement, AVANT may
receive in excess of $8 million over a two-year period, covering
vaccine development through preclinical testing. AVANT executed the
subcontract with DynPort Vaccine Company LLC ("DVC"), the prime
contractor for the Defense Department's Joint Vaccine Acquisition
Program (JVAP). Headquartered in Fort Detrick, MD, JVAP is the lead
Defense Department organization for the development and purchase of
vaccines for the U.S. military.
"This contract represents one of the first awards from a major
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) initiative to apply modern
biotechnological innovations to the development of vaccines that can
offer rapid, effective protection from multiple biological agents,"
said Una S. Ryan, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of
AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. "Current vaccines against bacterial
bioweapons like anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) and plague (Yersinia
pestis) require a protracted dosing regimen or provide only limited
protection, and each vaccine protects against only a single agent. The
Defense Department is looking for new, improved generation vaccines
that are effective, single-dose, and can protect against multiple
agents. The choice of AVANT to conduct this development program is an
important recognition of the strength of AVANT's vaccine and vector
technologies for accomplishing these aims."
"This contract is very important to AVANT since it provides
non-dilutive funding to the company and it means that AVANT now has
over two years of cash and cash equivalents on hand," Dr. Ryan
concluded.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Ranking Democrat of the Senate
Committee on Health and a senior member of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, stated, "I am very pleased that the Defense Department has
chosen AVANT, a leading Massachusetts biotechnology firm, to conduct
this pioneering effort in the development of a next-generation
biodefense vaccine. The anthrax attacks of 2001 were a tragic reminder
of the need for modern vaccines to protect our men and women in
uniform as well as the public at large. I commend DoD's efforts in
this area, and I look forward to yet another successful application of
AVANT's vaccine technology to meeting this vital national security and
healthcare challenge."
Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee
on Small Business, stated, "AVANT's success in this area is proof that
America's small businesses can play a vital role in protecting our
fighting men and women from biological weapons. Small business offers
the innovation and flexibility our forces need to defeat novel threats
that are constantly changing. As we contemplate sending our forces
into battle where they could face biological weapons, it is reassuring
to see that the Defense Department is moving ahead to acquire the most
effective means of safeguarding them."
Dr. Ryan commended Senator Kennedy and Senator Kerry for their
support of the JVAP program funding biodefense vaccine development:
"Without support from enlightened legislators like Senator Kennedy and
Senator Kerry, the development of required advanced-technology
vaccines would continue to lag behind the threats our nation faces.
We are grateful for their leadership in making this program
possible."
DVC is currently developing seven vaccines for the Department of
Defense Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program and is the first company to
initiate clinical trials on the new smallpox vaccine for the
Department of Defense. They are also expected to be the first to
complete the trials for vaccinia immune globulin (VIG), an antiserum
needed for the smallpox vaccination program. DVC's mission is to
develop vaccines that meet the highest standards and requirements for
today's soldiers. "Vaccination of a large number of individuals would
be facilitated if an orally administered vaccine were available," said
Terry Irgens, RPh, President of DVC. "AVANT's concept that several
vaccines could be delivered simultaneously would be state-of-the-art.
We look forward to investigating this technology as an alternative to
an injectable vaccine."
Under the subcontract, AVANT will develop a rapid-acting oral
anthrax and plague vaccine based on the company's modified live
vaccine technology. This technology will use genetically modified
bacteria as vectors, or "buses," to deliver plague and anthrax
antigens to the immune system in a way that quickly stimulates
protective immunity against these microbes - both of which have
potential for use as bioweapons. AVANT expects to conduct the vaccine
research at both its Needham, Massachusetts and St. Louis, Missouri
laboratories.
The proposed vaccine will offer dramatic advances over
current-generation biodefense vaccines. For example, the current
generation anthrax vaccine administered to U.S. troops requires
individuals to undergo a series of six injections over an 18-month
period. This vaccine confers immunity to anthrax gradually, over a
number of weeks. Recipients of this vaccine have complained of
considerable muscular soreness in reaction to the injections. By
contrast, the proposed anthrax-plague vaccine to be developed by AVANT
is designed to have the attributes of AVANT's travelers' vaccines
against cholera and typhoid fever--require a single oral dose, confer
immunity within days, and cause minimal side effects.
Scientists at AVANT created the vectoring technology as part of
the company's development of orally administered bacterial vaccine
candidates against cholera (Vibrio cholerae, Peru-15) and typhoid
fever (Salmonella typhi, Ty800). Peru-15 and Ty800 were created using
genetic techniques to delete genes known to be essential to the
virulence of the parent microorganism. As a result of these
alterations, AVANT's vaccine candidates have been shown in the clinic
to be well tolerated by humans. Moreover, results of a Phase IIb
challenge study with AVANT's Peru-15 cholera vaccine candidate
demonstrated the ability of a single dose of that vaccine to protect
subjects against moderate or severe diarrhea following administration
of live Vibrio cholerae bacteria. This study was conducted under the
sponsorship of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Disease (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in
collaboration with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)
About DVC
DVC, a joint venture between DynCorp of Reston, Virginia and
Porton International, Inc., is chartered with providing an integrated
approach for the advanced development of specific vaccines and other
products to protect against the threat of biological warfare agents.
In 1997, the U.S. Department of Defense initiated the Joint Vaccine
Acquisition Program, which includes a 10-year contract with DVC for
the development of vaccines against certain acute infectious diseases
and contagious diseases.
About AVANT
AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. is engaged in the discovery,
development and commercialization of products that harness the human
immune system to prevent and treat disease. The company is developing
a broad portfolio of vaccines against viral and bacterial diseases,
including single-dose oral vaccines aimed at protecting travelers from
cholera, typhoid fever and other illnesses. In addition, the company
is conducting clinical studies of a proprietary vaccine candidate for
cholesterol management. AVANT further leverages the value |
