The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has taken action to add to the areas of interest in its new Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) the development of antifungal Medical Countermeasures (MCM) to treat infections caused by drug-resistant fungal threats.
 
For the first time, BARDA announced this week it is seeking partnerships to develop broad-spectrum next-generation antifungal drugs to treat high-priority fungal infections.
 
“It is extremely exciting to see BARDA announce increased emphasis on fighting dangerous fungal pathogens,” said Marco Taglietti, M.D., president and chief executive officer of SCYNEXIS. “Ibrexafungerp, with its promising activity against multiple drug resistant and often-deadly fungal infections, has enormous potential to benefit patients with severe fungal disease and limited treatment options. As a leader in the antifungal area with multiple ongoing Phase 3 studies, SCYNEXIS is well positioned to answer BARDA’s call to action, and we are pleased with our continued clinical progress as we remain committed to bringing our innovative, potent antifungal to market as a potential option for patients with difficult-to-treat fungal infections.”
 
The announcement regarding the increased focus on antifungal treatment development was made during BARDA Industry Day (BID) held on November 15 and 16, 2022, an annual conference regarding ongoing collective efforts to support continued innovation and advancement in MCM development and preparedness against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases. According to the BARDA BAA, priorities include drug candidates that represent a first-in-class antifungal with a novel mechanism of action or have an improved formulation or alternate delivery regimens (e.g., oral and intravenous).
 
This call to action follows on the heels of the publication in October of the World Health Organization (WHO) published its first-ever report highlighting a list of fungal “priority pathogens” that represent the greatest menacing threat to public health. The WHO dangerous pathogens list includes well known pathogens such as Candida auris (C. auris) and other Candida species, such as C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis, as well as Aspergillus fumigatus, Histoplasma spp. and Mucorales.