BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Seeing the future

November 20, 2006 8:00 AM UTC

At the beginning of November, Acambis plc announced it had made a strategic decision to wean itself away from biodefense-related products. The decision appears to have been prescient, as the company last week revealed it has been dropped from contention for a contract to supply Modified Vaccinia Ankara smallpox vaccine to the U.S. government.

The decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was made under RFP-III, the third of an ongoing request for proposals by HHS, which is expected to result in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases making an initial purchase of some 20 million doses of MVA vaccine. Purchases of 60-80 million doses are expected over time. ...