Soligenix, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NIH other news
Soligenix said NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) exercised an option to extend by one year a 2013 contract to support preclinical development of OrbeShield as a medical countermeasure to treat gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI ARS). The option provides an additional $2.1 million to Soligenix. Last September, NIAID granted an initial award of $2.1 million to Soligenix under the contract, which is worth up to $6.4 million.
The oral formulation of beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) consists of one tablet intended to release BDP in the proximal portions of the GI tract and another to release BDP in the distal portions. The product is in preclinical development for GI ARS and has Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations to prevent death following a potentially lethal dose of total body irradiation during or after a radiation disaster. Soligenix is evaluating OrbeShield in an ongoing preclinical canine study, from which data are expected in 2H14. ...