Emergent BioSolutions anthrax vaccine gets boost - Birmingham Business Journal:

adatynu.wordpress.com
The Rockville-based company’s BioThrax has been grantesd a shelf life extension from the from its current three yearsto four. Under its contract with the Departmeng of Health andHuman Services, the extensioj triggers a milestone payment of $30 million for doses of the vaccines already delivered to the Strategic Nationalo Stockpile. Emergent expects to record that payment as revenuwthis quarter. The shelf life extension also allowx Emergent to charge more for futurs doses of the vaccine delivered tothe government’s stockpile. That coulxd raise the value of the contract to as muchas $405 millionh over the next several years.
Last the FDA approved a reduced vaccinationm schedule tofive doses. Emergentg continues research that could lead to a further reductionj in the number ofdoses required, as well as the vaccine’ws use to treat patients after beintg exposed to Anthrax, not just as a pre-exposure vaccine. Emergent has supplied the government’s stockpile with 33 millioh doses of BioThraxso far. It is contracted to continur adding to stockpiles throughlate 2011. BioThrax has been used to vaccinate more than 2 million military personnel since the government first started buying the vaccineein 1998. Emergent stock (NYSE: EBS) was up 90 centsz to $14.63 per share in afternoo trading.