A Hawaii company says it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to develop a dengue vaccine. ADVERTISING A Hawaii company says it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to develop a dengue vaccine. Hawaii
A Hawaii company says it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to develop a dengue vaccine.
Hawaii Biotech Inc. announced today that the U.S. Army SBIR Program awarded the company a Small Business Innovation Research Phase I contract to create an “effective dengue vaccine to protect military personnel against this potentially mission-aborting disease.”
“Current leading dengue vaccine candidates in clinical trails offer only partial protection and long immunization periods. International travelers and military personnel being deployed to tropical or subtropical regions require more immediate and more complete immunity,” the company said in a written statement.
“The growing outbreak of dengue fever in Hawaii highlights the need for stronger containment efforts now, and a commitment to preventing additional outbreaks in the future,” said U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. “This vaccine has the potential to seriously improve the response to dengue fever both in Hawaii, and around the world, and I am pleased that the Army has awarded this important research and development contract to a local Hawaii business.”
“This contract will enable Hawaii Biotech to apply our many years of experience in viral vaccine development and our knowledge of the challenges in developing a dengue vaccine to this important mission,” said Elliot Parks, CEO.
See Friday’s Tribune-Herald for more about the dengue outbreak.
