Avant's CholeraGarde vaccine development program to benefit from Gates Foundation funding

By Lisa Kerner

Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 2 - Avant Immunotherapeutics, Inc. said $21 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a Cholera Vaccine Initiative to the International Vaccine Institute will allow the company to conduct phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials of CholeraGarde in Bangladesh and India beginning in 2007.

The institute will purchase clinical materials for the trial from Avant's manufacturing facility in Massachusetts.

In addition to the development of CholeraGarde, The Cholera Vaccine Initiative program will develop an oral killed whole cell cholera vaccine from Vietnam.

"We see the initiation of these trials as serving the dual role of addressing a significant health issue in the developing world and advancing development of Avant's vaccine franchise," president and chief executive officer Una S. Ryan said in a news release.

"We expect to initiate our own phase 3 study of CholeraGarde in early 2007 to support an application for U.S. and E.U. approval for use in travelers and military personnel."

Avant is a vaccine development company based in Needham, Mass.

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