7 August 2020 - - US-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company SAB Biotherapeutics has been awarded an additional USD 35.6m in expanded scope for its DiversitAb Rapid Response Antibody Program contract from the Department of Defense Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO - CBRND) Joint Project Lead for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Enabling Biotechnologies (JPL CBRND EB), the company said.

With this latest follow-on award, executed by JPEO-CBRND in coordination with the Office of the Assistant secretary of Dense for Health Affairs (OASD(HA)) and the Defense Health Agency, SAB has announced three awards currently totaling USD 72m for its rapid response capability and development of its COVID-19 therapeutic candidate, SAB-185, since March of 2020.

Previous awards were supported by JPL CBRND EB and the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Assistant secretary for Preparedness and Response at the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The expanded scope provides additional funding for clinical development and manufacturing for SAB-185, a new therapeutic targeted to SARS-CoV-2 without using human donors. Separate from the funding award, JPEO-CBRND in coordination with OASD and DHA, is providing direct funding for the first-in-human clinical trials, poised to begin this month.

In addition, the expanded scope aims to build rapid response capacity and capabilities for current and future product development from discovery through licensure.

The Rapid Response Antibody Program was initiated as a USD 27m progressive and competitive three-stage rapid response contract awarded by the US Department of Defense.

The contract called for the development of a pharmaceutical platform technology capable of rapidly and reliably producing antibody-based medical countermeasures for biological threats to accelerate the delivery of a series of potent, fully-human, antibody therapeutics.

Stage 4, "COVID-19 Pandemic Response," was awarded in April of 2020 with up to USD 9.4m in support from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). The current additional award of USD35.6 m, brings the total to up to USD 72m.

The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) protects the Joint Force by providing medical countermeasures and defense equipment against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

JPEO-CBRND's goal is to enable the Joint Force to fight and win unencumbered by a CBRN environment. JPEO-CBRND facilitates the rapid response, advanced development, manufacturing and acquisition of medical solutions, such as vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, to combat CBRN and emerging threats such as COVID-19.

SAB Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company advancing a new class of immunotherapies leveraging fully human polyclonal antibodies.

Utilising some of the most complex genetic engineering and antibody science in the world, SAB has developed the only platform that can rapidly produce natural, highly-targeted, high-potency, human polyclonal immunotherapies at commercial scale.

The company is advancing programs in autoimmunity, infectious diseases, inflammation and oncology. SAB is rapidly progressing on a new therapeutic for COVID-19, SAB-185, fully human polyclonal antibodies targeted to SARS-CoV-2 without using human donors.