Soligenix nabs up to $24.7M NIH contract for bioterror vaccine

Soligenix won a grant for up to $24.7 million from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to advance its thermostabilization technology, ThermoVax, in combination with the company's ricin toxin vaccine, RiVax, as a medical countermeasure to prevent the effects of ricin exposure. Ricin toxin, which comes from plants, is considered a bioterror threat because of its stability and high potency as well as the large worldwide reservoir created as a byproduct of castor oil production. The contract, which will be carried out with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, contains a 16-month base period of $5.8 million in financial support, followed by several contract options that would extend the contract award for up to 6 years. Release