BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

BARDA awards up to $222M for anthrax and GI ARS

September 20, 2013 1:59 AM UTC

HHS's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE:GSK; NYSE:GSK) a four-year contract worth about $196 million to supply the U.S. government with 60,000 doses of anthrax drug raxibacumab. FDA approved raxibacumab last December to treat inhalational anthrax and to prevent inhalational anthrax when alternative treatments are not available. The human mAb against Bacillus anthracis protective antigen was developed under HHS's Project Bioshield, which provides incentives for companies to develop medical countermeasures. GSK gained raxibacumab through its August 2012 acquisition of Human Genome Sciences Inc. In addition, HHS will buy $63 million worth of blood plasma from Cangene Corp. (TSX:CNJ) to manufacture anthrax antitoxin. Cangene was up C$0.18 to C$2.28 on Thursday.

The agency also awarded Soligenix Inc. (OTCBB:SNGX) up to $26.3 million to develop OrbeShield as a medical countermeasure to treat gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI ARS). Soligenix will receive about $10.6 million for an initial two-year period and up to $26.3 million if the contract is extended for an additional three years. ...