Scandinavian Biopharma has been awarded 7.4 million EUR from the EU for clinical trials of ETVAX® – a unique and newly developed vaccine against diarrheal disease

In international competition Scandinavian Biopharma has been awarded a grant of 7,4 million Euro for clinical trials of the ETEC vaccine ETVAX®. The clinical trials will be conducted in the African countries Zambia and The Gambia. The newly developed vaccine ETVAX® targets diarrhea caused by ETEC – an enteric bacteria responsible for hundred thousands of deaths annually among children in low- to middle income countries.

“We are very proud and pleased to be awarded this generous grant. To us, this is a recognition highlighting the importance of our research project that has the potential to save many children's lives in the future. The grant will accelerate the clinical development of our vaccine and be a valuable contribution for financing our planned Phase I study in Zambia and the following Phase IIb study in The Gambia. The Zambian trial is planned to start in the second quarter of 2019, and the Gambian study will follow thereafter”, says Björn Sjöstrand, CEO of Scandinavian Biopharma.

The project budget is largely funded by the EU Research and Innovation Framework Program, Horizon 2020 through the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Association (EDCTP) organization. The EDCTP funds clinical research to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria as well as other poverty-related infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on clinical trials in phase II and III.