Jan. 12, 2006 — Starpharma Holdings Ltd., a Melbourne, Australia, developer of nanotechnology solutions for pharmaceuticals, announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track status to VivaGel, an investigational new drug for the prevention of HIV.
VivaGel’s new drug application will receive priority review, which has a shorter review time, said John Raff, Starpharma chief executive, in a prepared statement. The status will also provides more opportunity for Starpharma to communicate with the FDA.
VivaGel is currently being developed as a vaginal microbicide gel to prevent the transmission of genital herpes and HIV. The company was also recently awarded $20 million by the U.S.-based NIAID, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to accelerate its development.