GAITHERSBURG, Md.—March saw Altimmune Inc. share preclinical data comparing its SparVax-L anthrax vaccine with BioThrax, the current approved vaccine, in cases of anthrax infection. The study demonstrated a 67-percent survival rate in animals given a lethal dose of anthrax after a single dose of SparVax-L. A survival rate of 100 percent was seen when two doses were administered—at day 0 and day 14—and challenged at day 28, comparable to the 96-percent survival rate seen with two doses of BioThrax. SparVax-L administration also resulted in significantly more toxin neutralizing antibodies after two doses than administration of BioThrax. SparVax-L is under development as a second-generation, highly purified recombinant anthrax vaccine, thanks to previous funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and current funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.