Emergent Wins Potentially $1.25M Anthrax Vaccine Supply Contract

Emergent BioSolutions has won a potentially $1.25 billion contract to supply the U.S. government with 44.75 million doses of its BioThrax® (anthrax vaccine adsorbed) vaccine over five years. Initial deliveries are expected to start this year, with 8.5 million doses scheduled for delivery during the first year of the contract. BioThrax is the only FDA approved vaccine for protection against anthrax infection.

“In coming to an agreement, Emergent and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked diligently to establish business terms that incorporate substantial price concessions,” notes Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent’s chairman and CEO. “This five-year award provides for uninterrupted supply of this critical biodefense countermeasure while addressing the government’s mandate to reduce spending across all programs.”

BioThrax is manufactured from a culture filtrate made from a nonvirulent strain of Bacillus anthracis, and is approved for the active immunization of adults at high risk of exposure to anthrax. Emergent says it has delivered over 55 million doses of the vaccine to the U.S. government, to date, and over 10 million doses have been administered to military personnel.