BARDA awards up to $500 million for vaccine clinical trials

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has announced up to $500 million in Project NextGen funding to plan and execute multiple Phase IIb clinical trials evaluating novel vaccines administered as a nasal spray or as a pill to protect against symptomatic COVID-19.

“We learned a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic that we can use to better prepare for future public health crises. That includes finding new ways to administer vaccines to make it even easier for everyone to protect themselves from illness,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

He added: “We are making progress on the development of cutting-edge treatments, such as vaccines administered as a nasal spray or as a pill. The Biden-Harris Administration won’t stop until we have the next generation of innovative vaccines, therapeutics, and other tools to protect against COVID-19, or any other pathogen that could threaten the American public.”