SAB Biotherapeutics (SAB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a proprietary technology to produce fully human polyclonal antibodies without the need for human donors, has been awarded an additional $35.6 million in expanded scope for its DiversitAb Rapid Response Antibody Program contract from the Department of Defense (DoD) 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).
 
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 (DHA), SAB has announced three awards currently totaling $72 million 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 (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
 
“Our team is urgently and diligently executing on development and scaling to respond to the current coronavirus pandemic. We filed the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for SAB-185 in just 98 days from the initiation of the program,” said Eddie J. Sullivan, co-founder, president and CEO of SAB Biotherapeutics. “We appreciate the continued confidence and collaboration with JPL CBRND EB and BARDA as we work together to rapidly advance our therapeutic candidate for COVID-19, strengthen our capabilities, and build our capacities to be responsive to future emerging threats with safe and effective human polyclonal antibody therapies.”
 
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 (HA) 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.