Airway Therapeutics Receives $1.9 Million NIH Grant for Lung Disease Prevention Study

Airway Therapeutics has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support its U.S. Phase 2b clinical trial of zelpultide alfa, aimed at preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in extremely premature infants.

The funding, provided by the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, is non-dilutive capital. It will aid the development of a biological treatment for BPD, a condition for which no approved preventive therapy currently exists.

"This NIH grant is a significant recognition of our program's scientific merit and the need for new preventive approaches in BPD," stated CEO Marc Salzberg. He added that the funding strengthens the company's ability to execute its development strategy and advance a differentiated biologic in an area with significant unmet needs.

BPD is a serious chronic lung disease associated with prematurity, affecting extremely premature infants. It involves inflammation and injury to developing lungs. Zelpultide alfa is a therapy based on recombinant human surfactant protein D (SP-D), designed to restore protective functions in newborns whose lungs are particularly vulnerable to inflammation and injury.

The Phase 2b trial in the U.S. builds upon favorable safety and tolerability findings from a prior Phase 1b study. This advanced trial aims to further evaluate zelpultide alfa's efficacy and safety compared to standard care in high-risk premature newborns, assessing its potential to reduce BPD incidence and severity.