Mary-Louise Hoffman
Mapp Biopharmaceutical has landed an 18-month, $24.9 million contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to further develop ZMapp, an antibody drug designed to treat the Ebola virus.
HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority will provide financial, preclinical and manufacturing support to Mapp with the goal of obtaining U.S. regulatory approval for the Ebola medicine, HHS said Tuesday.
The agency says it could increase ZMapp project funding up to $42.3 million.
“Developing drugs and vaccines to protect against Ebola as a biological threat has been a long-term goal of the U.S. government, and today’s agreement represents an important step forward,” said Dr. Nicole Lurie, HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response.
BARDA plans to collaborate with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Defense Department and National Institutes of Health to expedite drug development.
ZMapp combines three monoclonal antibodies that are derived from the tobacco plant and has been shown to lower mortality risk in Ebola virus-exposed mice and nonhuman primates, according to HHS.
