Glide Pharma has been awarded a sub-contract from Pfenex, Inc. to develop a solid formulation of recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA) from Bacillus anthracis expressed in Pfenex Expression Technology for delivery with the Glide SDI (solid dose injector). The goal is to address logistical constraints of the currently available vaccine, namely, long-term stability during storage and ease of administration.
 
The Pfenex project has been funded with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. Under an existing Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) contract, Pfenex has successfully developed a novel rPA that is highly immunogenic and protective in animal studies, with a scalable production process and robust yields.
 
“We believe that a combination of Pfenex’s proprietary rPA-based anthrax vaccine and Glide Pharma’s novel formulations and delivery technology will provide a product suitable in response to an anthrax biothreat,” said Dr. Mark Carnegie-Brown, chief executive officer, Glide Pharma.
 
“Glide Pharma’s novel formulation and delivery technology allows us to expand our anthrax vaccine program,” stated Bertrand C. Liang, chief executive officer, Pfenex. “Leveraging the Glide SDI technology to develop an alternative delivery method of the Pfenex anthrax vaccine further supports our efforts to provide a safe, feasible and cost-effective solution to the United States government’s quest to stockpile sufficient vaccine doses to rapidly respond to an anthrax biothreat.”