The search for an effective vaccine for the dreaded Zika virus continues, with Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical being the latest to set its sights on the coveted treatment.
The Osaka-based company announced on Thursday, Sept. 1, that it has been selected by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop a vaccine that would prevent the spread of Zika.
As part of its deal with the U.S. government, Takeda is set to receive close to $20 million over the next 18 months as initial funding for preclinical research and manufacture of the vaccine candidate in preparation for early-stage human trials.
If Takeda's Zika vaccine proves to be successful during initial tests, the company could receive up to $312 million of funding so that it could push through with late-stage trials and filing for government approval.
"This is a high-priority program," Rajeev Venkayya, Takeda's head of global vaccines, said. "The fact that the U.S. government selected Takeda as a partner reflects their assessment of the capabilities and technology we have and our ability to get a drug to market quickly."
Venkayya said the company currently employs 10 to 15 people to develop a vaccine for Zika at its facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts. However, majority of the program's early research is still being conducted at Takeda facilities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado and Japan.
Takeda intends to consolidate all of its ongoing vaccine operations in its Cambridge facility and hire or relocate up to 120 people to work on the program.
Venkayya said they have already been doing preclinical testing for their Zika vaccine for several months. They hope to start Phase I trials for the experimental treatment involving healthy volunteers in 2017.
Takeda has also engaged in discussions with the Japanese government on a possible collaboration to develop the Zika drug.
Takeda's Zika Vaccine
According to Venkayya, the vaccine that they are developing will make use of dead or inactive Zika virus samples in order to trigger an immune response against the infection.
However, the vaccine candidate that they are currently testing in early human trials is based on DNA and does not contain any actual samples of the virus.
BARDA acting director Richard Hatchett said the agency is aggressively pursuing the creation of effective vaccine candidates that can help protect people both in the United States and abroad against the effects of Zika.
So far, BARDA has already committed $76 million to fund programs to fight Zika including diagnostics, blood screenings and the development of vaccines for the infection.
