The biotech company Bavarian Nordic has received an order worth close to a billion kroner to supply the US government with its Imvamune smallpox vaccine.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, made the bulk order, valued at 133 million dollars (920 million kroner) with the intention of using a new freeze-drying process to extend its shelf-life.
Greater flexibility
Paul Chaplin, the CEO of Bavarian Nordic, explained that once the manufacturing process has been authorised by health authorities, it will provide greater flexibility for supplying the drug.
“This order was made possible by previous BARDA funding, which allowed us to identify a new process to extend the shelf-life of the bulk vaccine. This process now offers greater flexibility for stockpiling our vaccines by governments,” he said.
“Our successful decade-long partnership with BARDA paves the way for improved public health preparedness, ensuring all Americans are protected from smallpox, including those people with compromised immune systems and skin disorders like eczema.”
The order will be produced and paid for in 2016 and 2017 so it will not affect the company’s 2015 results.
