U.S. Contracts Aim To Boost Medical Emergency Readiness

As part of a plan to bolster terrorism defenses, the Department of Health & Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA) has awarded a contract to Emergent BioSolutions for the development of a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine. The contract is valued at up to $187 million. It begins with a $51 million payment covering two years and includes three one-year options for continued funding, as well as a potential $9 million for nonclinical studies. BARDA recently awarded two similar contracts: one to Achaogen for the development of a novel aminoglycoside agent against plague and tularemia infections and one to Cellerant Therapeutics for the development of a cellular therapy for treating acute radiation syndrome. The awards follow a review published last month by HHS, which found that the federal medical emergency preparedness system, including BARDA, needs to do a better job nurturing early-stage discoveries and supporting innovative biotechnology firms. Meanwhile, Cleveland BioLabs won a $45 million contract from the Department of Defense to develop and stockpile CBLB502, a microbial protein derivative, as a radiation treatment.