Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. on Thursday said it is developing a vaccine to prevent the Zika virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects, and has secured funding from a U.S. government agency.
Takeda, which is also working on vaccines for other mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue, said it would initially receive nearly $20 million over the next 18 months to fund preclinical research and manufacturing in preparation for early human trials.
The contract is with BARDA, the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a unit within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It calls for funding of up to $312 million if the agency deems the vaccine worthy of moving through late-stage testing and filing for approval, the company said.