Anivive Lifesciences Inc. has announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded Anivive a new contract worth up to USD 33 million to support the development of a vaccine against the fungus Coccidioides, which causes Valley Fever.

Contract funding aims to utilize the underlying science in Anivive's animal health Valley Fever vaccine for dogs, currently under review by the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics, to develop a similar vaccine for humans. The funding will address IND-enabling activities, including additional manufacturing, formulation, extensive safety testing, and an IND submission, before then completing a human Phase 1 clinical trial.

Rising temperatures and extreme weather are setting the stage for increases in fungal diseases. Recognizing the growing global public health problem, in 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever list of fungal "priority pathogens," calling for policy improvements and research in such areas as fungal disease distribution, patterns of antifungal resistance, and who is most at risk of exposure and disease. Currently, there are no antifungal vaccines approved for human or animal use.

"Anivive is honored to receive this NIAID contract, which will greatly accelerate our efforts to commercialize a vaccine to protect people against Valley Fever," said Dr. Edward Robb, Anivive Lifesciences Chief Strategy Officer and Principal Investigator.

"This collaborative effort has delivered a significant step forward in the field of vaccinology and holds the potential to be the first vaccine to prevent a serious systemic fungal infection common to humans and animals," said Robb. 

Anivive has built a strong research team to catalyze this breakthrough and deliver a first-in-class solution for an emerging fungal disease. Additionally, this program is supported by: Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona College of Medicine for the non-clinical development, Recipharm for the contract manufacturing, Quigley BioPharma for vaccine development support and Latham BioPharm Group, part of Sia Partners for the program management, financial compliance, quality assurance and additional technical subject matter expertise.