NIAID and BARDA backing will go toward the firm’s program on gentamicin.
Nanotherapeutics received $20 million toward work on an inhaled version of a first-line therapy, gentamicin, for pneumonic plague and tularemia.
The company has already developed NanoGENT™, an inhaled dry-powder formulation of gentamicin, to provide early treatment for exposure to biological warfare agents as well as TB and other respiratory infections. The four-year contract received from the NIAID and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will further this program.
In the event of an accidental or deliberate exposure to these agents, noninvasive drug delivery systems such as improved inhaled and nasal delivery would be especially beneficial, Nanotherapeutics points out. Such systems can be then used to administer wide-spread immediate postexposure prophylaxis and treatment using disposable multidose inhalers with adequate shelf-life stability, the company adds.
