Basilea lands $30M more from BARDA for Phase 3 antifungal push

What's the deal? Basilea Pharmaceutica has secured an additional $30 million grant from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development AuthorityDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (BARDA) to advance its antifungal therapy fosmanogepix. The award follows a pre-specified patient enrolment milestone in the drug's ongoing Phase 3 programme.

What's the endgame? Fosmanogepix is being tested as a treatment for serious invasive fungal infections, including aspergillosis and candidiasis. Basilea is targeting cases where existing therapies are limited or less effective.

Why now? The payment was triggered by hitting the enrolment target. It builds on the $93 million BARDA has committed since the two signed an Other Transaction Agreement in September 2024, which also funds a second programme, BAL2062.

BARDA is set to cover about 60% of the supported programmes' costs. If all extension options are exercised, the agreement could deliver up to roughly $268 million in non-dilutive funding over as long as 12 years.

Chief executive officer David Veitch said the company is "pleased to receive continued support from BARDA," adding the therapy could help address a significant unmet medical need in infectious disease care.

The signal: The grant sits in the top 1% of all-time grant rounds for Swiss health companies, underlining how governments are backing anti-infective work outside traditional dilutive venture funding. For Basilea, non-dilutive capital de-risks a late-stage programme without pressuring its cap table.

Read more: pharmanow.live

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