[NVIC] HHS Buys Anthrax Vaccine for Attack

[Guest guest]

E-NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL VACCINE INFORMATION CENTER

Vienna, Virginia http://www.nvic.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

UNITED WAY/COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN

#8122

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

" Protecting the health and informed consent rights of children since 1982. "

============================================================================

==============

BL Fisher Note:

In what amounts to a catfight between drug companies competing for the

same government contract, Michigan's Bioport and the politicians that back

the company have secured more cash from taxpayers to prepare for a

theoretical bioterrorism attack on U.S. civilians. Yet, there is not one

scintilla of solid evidence that has been provided to the public since Sept.

11, 2001 by the U.S. government that any terrorist group in the world has

the scientific expertise and capability to weaponize anthrax, smallpox or

any other microorganism and successfully deliver it in lethal form to large

numbers of civilians on the mainland.

This lack of evidence, however, does not deter the fear mongers and

profiteers, who continue to frighten the people into believing a

bioterrorism attack is imminent. And so large sums of taxpayer money is

handed over to drug companies to produce bioterrorism vaccines which can be

forced upon the people in order to recoup production expenses and generate

more profit for vaccine makers.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060507/LIFESTYLE03/60507

Detroit News

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Government expands anthrax vaccine contract with Michigan company

Ken / Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- BioPort Corp. will receive $120 million to produce 5 million

more doses of anthrax vaccine to bolster the government's stockpile of

antidotes against bioweapons, the Department of Health and Human Services

said Friday.

BioPort, of Lansing, Mich., completed its delivery of 5 million doses of

anthrax vaccine to the federal stockpile in February under a $122.7 million

contract announced in May 2005. HHS officials said it would modify the

existing contract to purchase the additional doses of Anthrax Vaccine

Adsorbed.

" We are committed to protecting the nation from the consequences of an

anthrax attack, " said Simonson, HHS's assistant secretary for public

health emergency preparedness.

BioPort, a subsidiary of Gaithersburg, Md.-based Emergent Biosolutions Inc.,

is the nation's only licensed manufacturer of the anthrax vaccine.

The funding was awarded under Project BioShield, which was signed into law

by President Bush in July 2004 with the promise of spending $5.6 billion to

develop remedies against possible bioweapons.

Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent Biosolutions' chairman and CEO, said the company was

" proud to play a vital role in the strategic defense of the United States

and the protection of its citizens in the event of another anthrax attack. "

The contract would run through September 2007 and delivery of the doses

would begin almost immediately, said BioPort spokeswoman Kim Brennen Root.

Brisbane, Calif.-based VaxGen Inc. received the first contract worth $877.5

million to develop the company's experimental anthrax vaccine, but delivery

has been delayed.

Lance Ignon, VaxGen's vice president corporate affairs, said the company

expects it could begin delivery " at the end of this year if all goes well

with our development program and if HHS is willing to accept vaccines based

on the data that's currently called for in the contract. "

VaxGen was warned in a March 24 letter from the Food and Drug Administration

about sales material handed out at a government biodefense research meeting

that contained " false and misleading statements " about the experimental

vaccine and how it compared to one produced by BioPort.

Rep. Mike , R-Mich., who represents the Lansing-area district where

BioPort is located, said last month he would seek an investigation into the

process that led to VaxGen receiving the contract.

said the work by BioPort " is crucial to America's bioterror defense.

This contract ensures our national security efforts as well as economic

security of more than 300 mid-Michigan employees and their families. "

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

HHS BUYS ADDITIONAL AVA ANTHRAX VACCINE

Date: May 5, 2006

For Release: Immediately

Contact: HHS Press Office

(202) 690-6343

bolor

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today the

$120 million purchase of 5 million additional doses of Anthrax Vaccine

Adsorbed (AVA), a licensed anthrax vaccine, from the BioPort Corporation

of Lansing, Mich. Today's action modifies an existing HHS contract with

BioPort that was awarded in May 2005.

This supply of AVA anthrax vaccine is in addition to the 5 million doses

of AVA anthrax vaccine purchased last year from BioPort. It will be

placed in the nation's Strategic National Stockpile where it will be

available for use in the event of a bioterror anthrax incident.

Together with an already substantial supply of antibiotics, which is the

nation's first line of defense against an anthrax attack, the additional

AVA vaccine will further diversify the stockpile's medical

countermeasures.

" We are committed to protecting the nation from the consequences of an

anthrax attack, " HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency

Preparedness Simonson said. " The additional BioPort vaccine

will further strengthen and expand the Strategic National Stockpile's

medical countermeasures for anthrax. "

Today's purchase agreement is funded under Project BioShield, a program

intended to accelerate the development, purchase and availability of

medical countermeasures for biological, chemical, radiological and

nuclear threats. President Bush introduced Project BioShield in his 2003

State of the Union address. Congress passed the Project BioShield Act of

2004 and the President signed it into law on July 21, 2004.

HHS' Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, which oversees the

research and procurement efforts under the Project BioShield program

through its Office of Research and Development Coordination, will

continue to manage the AVA anthrax vaccine contract.

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are

available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

=============================================

News@... is a free service of the National Vaccine Information

Center and is supported through membership donations. Learn more about

vaccines, diseases and how to protect your informed consent rights

http://www.nvic.org

Become a member and support NVIC's work

https://www.nvic.org/making%20cash%20donations.htm

To sign up for a free e-mail subscription http://www.nvic.org/emaillist.htm