Daré Bioscience said on Monday it received approximately $908,000 from the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to advance preclinical studies for DARE-PTB2, an investigational therapy aimed at preventing idiopathic preterm birth.
The NIH/NICHD grant, designated under award number R44HD113465, includes a recommended additional $1.3 million in support to complete initial pharmacokinetic, safety, and toxicity evaluations. The company previously received about $400,000 from the NICHD in July 2023 to fund earlier proof-of-concept studies validating the therapeutic target.
Preterm birth—defined as delivery before 37 weeks of gestation—remains a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide, and no FDA-approved therapies currently exist to reduce the risk. Daré’s DARE-PTB2 program targets this unmet need by developing a therapeutic approach to prevent spontaneous preterm birth.
Sabrina Martucci Johnson, president and CEO of Daré Bioscience, said the company is grateful for the continued support from the NIH and NICHD, noting that the new award provides non-dilutive funding to advance the program toward further development milestones.
