Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: DARE) announced it received a notice of award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for approximately $908,000 to support its DARE-PTB2 program aimed at preventing preterm birth.

The award will fund one year of preclinical development. The notice also includes recommended future-year support of approximately $1.3 million for completion of initial preclinical pharmacokinetic, safety, and toxicity studies, though that additional funding is not guaranteed.

DARE-PTB2 is an early-stage investigational program targeting idiopathic preterm birth, defined as birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy. There are currently no FDA-approved therapeutic options to reduce the risk of preterm birth, according to the company's statement.

The new award follows a prior NICHD grant of approximately $400,000 issued in July 2023, which supported proof-of-concept target validation studies conducted in collaboration with the University of South Florida.

"This new award provides important non-dilutive funding to support the continued advancement of DARE-PTB2," said Sabrina Martucci Johnson, President and CEO of Daré Bioscience.

David Friend, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Daré Bioscience, said the continued NIH support enables the company to advance the scientific foundation of the program and further evaluate a potential new therapeutic approach.

The research is supported under NIH Award Numbers R41HD113465 and R44HD113465. The company noted that the content of its announcement does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.