SCYNEXIS wins $214m BARDA contract to develop SCY-247 antifungal
SCYNEXIS has been awarded a contract by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) worth up to approximately $214 million if all options are exercised, to fund the development of SCY-247, the company's second-generation triterpenoid antifungal candidate. The Jersey City-based biotech said the non-dilutive award will not affect its existing cash runway, which it projects to extend into 2029, nor will it alter development plans for its lead programme, SCY-770, in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.
The contract is structured as a cost-share arrangement and may run for up to ten years. The initial base period provides approximately $18.5 million to advance both oral and intravenous formulations of SCY-247 into a Phase 2 trial in patients with invasive candidiasis. Full contract value is contingent on BARDA exercising successive options that would carry the programme through NDA submission across two indications: treatment of invasive candidiasis and prevention of invasive fungal infections in high-risk patients.
The drug and its designations
SCY-247 belongs to the fungerp structural class, a novel antifungal mechanism distinct from the azoles, echinocandins and polyenes that constitute the current standard of care. The candidate has demonstrated in vitro activity against a broad range of fungal pathogens, including drug-resistant strains, according to SCYNEXIS. The US Food and Drug Administration has granted SCY-247 Orphan, Qualified Infectious Disease Product and Fast Track designations, each of which can accelerate regulatory review timelines and, in the case of QIDP, extends market exclusivity by five years under the GAIN Act.
Positive Phase 1 single- and multiple-ascending-dose data for the oral formulation were reported in September 2025. A Phase 1 study of the IV formulation has completed dosing, with analysis ongoing. SCYNEXIS said it now expects to advance two programmes into Phase 2 simultaneously.
David Angulo, president and chief executive of SCYNEXIS, said the partnership "enables the development of a novel therapy for the treatment and prevention of serious invasive fungal infections while leveraging our existing infrastructure and capabilities."
Market context and competitive landscape
Invasive fungal infections, particularly those caused by Candida and Aspergillus species, represent a significant and underserved clinical problem. Mortality in invasive candidiasis can exceed 40% in immunocompromised patients, and the spread of drug-resistant species, notably Candida auris, has prompted regulators and governments on both sides of the Atlantic to prioritise new antifungal development.
BARDA's involvement reflects a broader US government push to strengthen the preparedness pipeline for antimicrobial threats. The authority has previously funded antibacterial development through similar cost-share structures, and its entry into antifungal development signals growing institutional concern about fungal resistance as a public health risk comparable to bacterial AMR.
SCYNEXIS already holds a commercial foothold in the fungerp class through BREXAFEMME (ibrexafungerp), the first approved agent in the structural class, which has been licensed to GSK. Several larger pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Merck, hold late-stage antifungal assets, but the fungerp mechanism offers a differentiated profile that could support combination use or deployment in patients who have failed other classes. The BARDA contract significantly de-risks SCY-247 development for investors, removing the need for SCYNEXIS to raise additional equity to fund what is now a two-indication Phase 2 programme.