Velesco Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has been awarded a $350,000 subcontract for the development, manufacturing, and testing of the stability of an investigational drug. The drug is intended to treat Beta-Thalassemia, a blood disorder that reduces the production of proteins that carry oxygen to cells throughout the body.

The subcontract is fully funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through its Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program.

TRND staff select qualified contract research organizations to provide services supporting certain drug development projects. The goal is to accelerate translation of promising therapeutics for treating rare and neglected diseases.

Beta-Thalassemia continues to be a major public health problem in many parts of the world. Through TRND, NCATS seeks to rapidly advance this potential new treatment option to the clinic.