This supply of anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA), which is being purchased under the Project BioShield program, will be placed in the US strategic national stockpile where it will be available for use in the event of a bioterror anthrax incident.
The award represents the third contract under Project BioShield, a new program intended to accelerate the development, purchase and availability of medical countermeasures for biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear threats.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, which oversees the research and procurement efforts under the Project BioShield program through its Office of R&D Coordination, will manage the AVA anthrax vaccine contract.
“We are committed to protecting the nation from the consequences of an anthrax attack,” said Stewart Simonson, HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness. “The BioPort vaccine will add another important medical countermeasure for anthrax to the strategic national stockpile.”