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New U.S. WMD Countermeasure Plan Unveiled
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department yesterday released its new strategy for developing medical countermeasures against weapons of mass destruction, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, April 18). The plan comes amidst persistent questions about the efficacy of Project Bioshield, the $5.6 billion program to spur development of vaccines and other drugs that would provide protection against biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological threats (see related GSN story, today). The program has led to only a handful procurement contracts, and the department in December canceled the flagship contract for production of 75 million doses of a new anthrax vaccine. “Bioshield is a new program. That said, new doesn’t necessarily equate with a license to make mistakes,” said House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). “Yet, mistakes have been made with regard to the development and implementation of the program.” The “Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasure Enterprise” lays out medical acquisition plans through 2013. The federal government is expected to pay more than $100 million for acquisition of anthrax and smallpox vaccines, AP reported. It is likely to cost even more to produce medicine for acute radiation poisoning The priority would be to produce drugs that would be used following exposure to biological agents. At the top of the list are antibiotics for the rodent-carried diseases plague and tularemia. Vaccines or other preventive countermeasures would be sought only for threats of “catastrophic consequence,” according to the department (Kevin Freking, Associated Press/RedOrbit, April 18). National Institutes of Health funding for basic and clinical research and development of WMD medical countermeasures was 30 times greater in fiscal 2006 than in fiscal 2001, Health and Human Services said yesterday. “Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, our mission has been to protect Americans by securing medical countermeasures for a range of threats,” HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt said in a release. “We have made significant progress to increase our preparedness in this area, but there is much more we must do” (U.S. Health and Human Services Department release, April 18). Meanwhile, Both agencies issued notices of intent to procure the drug. The HHS order calls for 10.4 million doses with options for another 8.35 million, while the Pentagon plans to order at least 4 million doses. The company since 1998 has provided 19 million doses of the vaccine to the two departments (Emergent BioSolutions release, April 18).
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