SAB Biotherapeutics Awarded Additional $60.5M from BARDA and U.S. Department of Defense for Rapid Response Capability and Advancing SAB-185 for Treatment of COVID-19

SAB Biotherapeutics (SAB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a novel immunotherapy platform that produces specifically targeted, high-potency, fully-human polyclonal antibodies without the need for human donors, today announced that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded the company an additional $60.5 million in expanded scope for its DiversitAb Rapid Response Antibody Program for advanced clinical development through licensure and commercial manufacturing for SAB-185, the company’s therapeutic candidate for the treatment of COVID-19. The new award expands the scope of SAB’s existing DiversitAb Rapid Response Antibody Program contract with the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (CBRND), Joint Project Lead CBRND Enabling Biotechnologies (JPL-CBRND-EB).

SAB has announced four awards currently totaling more than $200 million since March of 2020, including funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD(HA)) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

"We appreciate the federal government’s expanded support for the further development of SAB-185, our therapeutic candidate with demonstrated ability to neutralize current and emerging variants of concern in multiple SARS-CoV-2 models,” said Eddie J. Sullivan, PhD, co-founder, president and CEO of SAB Biotherapeutics.

Dr. Sullivan continued, “The U.S. government has been a tremendous partner in leveraging our novel approach and unique capabilities to help establish and scale our Rapid Response Program that enabled us to accelerate the development and production of SAB-185, a fully human polyclonal antibody therapeutic produced without the need for human donors. Our diverse and highly potent polyclonal antibodies are well-suited for treating rapidly mutating pathogens such as COVID-19. The expanded scope of this collaboration supports our goal of expeditiously completing clinical development, commercial scale-up and regulatory review as we aim to secure approval to bring SAB-185 to COVID-19 patients. I am proud of the work by our exceptional team and appreciate the continued support from our government collaborators as we advance SAB-185 through late-stage efficacy trials and potential licensure. We will also continue to expand and optimize our rapid response capability, providing an important model for future response to pandemics and emerging diseases.”