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www.fdanews.com/articles/197392-hhs-grants-emergent-628-million-contract-for-covid-19-vaccines

HHS Grants Emergent $628 Million Contract for COVID-19 Vaccines

June 2, 2020

HHS has expanded an existing partnership between its Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Emergent BioSolutions, awarding the Maryland company approximately $628 million to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines.

A BARDA contract in 2012 established the company’s Baltimore Bayview plant as an advanced development and manufacturing center for pandemic preparedness. Under the newly expanded partnership, Emergent’s Bayview, Baltimore Camden and Rockville facilities in Maryland will also receive support for vaccine manufacturing.

Most of the BARDA funding will go toward producing government-supported vaccine candidates through 2021. The company’s Baltimore Bayview facility “has the capacity to produce tens to hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine on an annual basis, based upon the platform technology being used,” the company said.

Emergent will also receive approximately $85.5 million to rapidly expand its viral and nonviral contract development and drug product filling and finishing capacities at the Camden and Rockville sites.

The partnership will offer vaccine developers “an established U.S. development and manufacturing supply chain,” said Emergent senior vice president Syed Husain.

The company is currently collaborating with Janssen, Novavax and Vaxart in efforts to develop COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

AstraZeneca recently landed a $1.2 billion BARDA contract for development and production of Oxford University’s promising vaccine candidate (DID, May 22). — James Miessler