A U.S. Military Infectious Diseases Applied Research Award has been given to Viamet Pharmaceuticals for development of a topical antifungal agent.

The agent would be used to prevent and treat mold infections resulting from battlefield wounds.

"We are pleased to announce the receipt of this grant from the Department of Defense," said Robert Schotzinger, MD, PhD, and chief executive officer of Viamet. "We believe that Viamet has the broadest and most robust portfolio of novel antifungal agents in the industry today. We look forward to extending the application of our novel compounds to include the prevention and treatment of mold infections resulting from battlefield wounds that occur in our US military personnel."

The award Viamet announced this week is a three-year, $1.95 million grant from the Department of Defense for the Defense Medical Research and Development Program.

Viamet said it is currently advancing a broad portfolio of novel antifungal agents based upon its proprietary Metallophile Technology platform. All are highly potent and were specifically designed to avoid safety and pharmacokinetic issues. So far its antifungal agent development has focused on oral or intravenous solutions but "certain compounds are also appropriate for topical administration."