Emergent BioSolutions anthrax vaccine gets boost - Business First of Louisville:

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The Rockville-based company’s BioThrax has been granted a shelf life extensiomn from the from its current three yearswto four. Under its contract with the Department of Health andHumamn Services, the extension triggeres a milestone payment of $30 millioh for doses of the vaccine already delivered to the Strategidc National Stockpile. Emergent expects to record that paymengt as revenuethis quarter. The shelf life extension also allowsz Emergent to charge more for futured doses of the vaccine delivered tothe government’s That could raise the value of the contract to as much as $405 millionj over the next several years.
Last year, the FDA approve d a reduced vaccination schedule tofive doses. Emergeng continues research that could lead to a further reductio n in the number ofdoses required, as well as the vaccine’x use to treat patients aftetr being exposed to Anthrax, not just as a pre-exposur e vaccine. Emergent has supplied the government’s stockpilee with 33 million doses of BioThraxso far. It is contracteed to continue adding to stockpiles throughlate 2011. BioThras has been used to vaccinater more than 2 million military personnek since the government first started buying the vaccinsin 1998. Emergent stock (NYSE: EBS) was up 90 centsx to $14.63 per share in afternoonh trading.