SoftOx Solutions has announced that the European Defense Fund has awarded a 3-year grant of approximately NOK 97 million (~€9.6 million) to the company’s subsidiary SoftOx Defense Solutions (SDS) for development of an inhalation solution as a part of a project developing countermeasures against harm from chemical, biologic, radioactive, and nuclear (CBRN) substances.
The SDS award is 20% of a total of approximately NOK 500 million (~€50 million) awarded to a consortium of 20 organizations across Europe developing medical countermeasures against CBRN substances and is partly funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, the company said.
SoftOx recently reported positive Phase 1 results for its SoftOx hypochlorous acid inhalation solution (SIS), which is in development for the treatment and prevention of influenza and other respiratory viruses. The company’s web site says, “Due to its non-specific mechanism of virus killing and inactivation, SoftOx Inhalation Solution has the potential to be an ideal ‘go to’ intervention for new emergent viruses.”
SDS CEO Rune Jomaas commented, “We are honored and extremely proud to have been accepted as an important and integral player in this pan-European consortium and grateful for such significant funding for our research and development plans. . . . With this grant, SDS will proceed into a contractual phase preparing for an exciting pan-European research activity with dedicated partners.”
SoftOx CEO Geir Almås said, “This funding is a significant recognition of our effort to develop cutting-edge technology. The grant also confirms that the SoftOx technology platform can potentially be a significant game-changer in developing new medical solutions for both the civilian and military market.”
Read the SoftOx Solutions press release.
