The U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced Nov. 15 an open period for applications for grants to support the development and approval or conditional approval of new animal drugs intended to treat uncommon diseases (minor uses) in major species — horses, dogs, cats, cattle, pigs, turkeys and chickens — or to treat minor species (MUMS).

FDA said the individual award amount has been increased to a single funding level up to $250,000.

The Minor Use & Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2004 provides innovative ways to bring products to market for these small populations and is designed to help veterinary pharmaceutical companies and others overcome the financial roadblocks they face in providing animal drugs for a limited market, FDA said in its announcement. Before this legislation, veterinary pharmaceutical companies and others would rarely attempt to bring such drugs to market.

FDA noted that grants awarded through the MUMS program support they agency's "continuing mission to assure that safe and effective animal drugs are available for a wide range of species and conditions."

For example, FDA said MUMS grants have been awarded to support product development for a wide range of indications, such as products to treat fungal and bacterial diseases in various fish species; a few for treatment of cancers in dogs, and some to support development of drugs for horses, pheasants and goats.

To date, the MUMS grant program has provided more than $4 million in support of 57 studies.

This is funding opportunity announcement (FOA) number PAR-18-827. The deadline to submit applications is Jan. 17, 2020, through www.grants.gov or the NIH ASSIST system.

The complete FOA is available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-18-827.html.

More information about the MUMS grant program and how to apply for MUMS grants is available at Minor Use/Minor Species (MUMS) Grants and How to Apply for a MUMS Grant.

Source: Food & Drug Administration, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.