The Regeneron Pharmaceuticals company logo is seen on a building at the company's Westchester campus in Tarrytown, New York, U.S. September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc FollowAug 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Tuesday it had awarded $1.4 billion for the development of new therapies and vaccines against COVID-19, including a $326 million contract with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN.O) for a next-generation antibody therapy for prevention of infections. The funding to Regeneron is a part of a $5 billion initiative dubbed "Project NextGen" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funding also includes $1 billion for four mid-stage clinical trials of new COVID vaccines, and $100 million to Global Health Investment Corp - a non-profit organization that invests in new technologies that will accelerate responses to diseases. Reporting by Pratik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Brendan McDermid, Regeneron, Pratik Jain, Maju Samuel Organizations: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, REUTERS, U.S, COVID, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Omicron, Global Health Investment Corp, Thomson Locations: Westchester, Tarrytown , New York, U.S, Bengaluru