Clinical stage biopharma company SAB Biotherapeutics has been awarded $57.5 million from BARDA and the US Department of Defence for the manufacturing of SAB-185, the company’s clinical stage therapeutic candidate for COVID-19.
Developed from SAB’s novel proprietary DiversitAb Rapid Response Antibody Program, SAB-185 is a fully human, specifically targeted and broadly neutralising polyclonal antibody therapeutic candidate for COVID-19.
The novel therapeutic is part of a new class of immunotherapies that relies on SAb’s platform technology to produce fully human polyclonal antibodies as the basis for the drug.
This technology produces the antibodies without the need for blood donations from people who have recovered from the virus; this approach produces greater quantities of the drug than the traditional human antibody donor methods.
SAB-185 is currently being tested as a COVID-19 therapeutic in an ongoing Phase 1 trial in healthy volunteers and an ongoing Phase Ib trial in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19.
Eddie J. Sullivan, co-founder, president and CEO of SAB Biotherapeutics, said the contract reflected the compelling science that supports SAB-185’s potential in COVID-19, as well as the urgent need for treatment options amidst the global pandemic.
“Previous data has indicated that this human polyclonal antibody therapeutic has potent neutralising activity against SARS-CoV-2, potentially driving more available doses, giving us the confidence to continue to progress our clinical development programs for SAB-185,” Mr Sullivan continued.
“This manufacturing agreement with BARDA and the Department of Defense supports our vision of bringing a novel, first-of-its-kind human polyclonal antibody therapeutic candidate for COVID-19 to patients, and I am proud of the work by our team and appreciate the continued support from BARDA and JPEO as we continue to rapidly advance SAB-185.”
