' biodefense bill clears Congress - LSJ - Bioport

[Guest guest]

I suppose " Suitable " is better than what they have now.

" Emergent, which employs 325 people at its Lansing anthrax-manufacturing

plant, also is working to make its vaccine suitable for mass immunizations " ,...

' biodefense bill clears Congress Legislation may boost Emergent, a

Lansing firm

By Hutt

State Journal correspondent

WASHINGTON - A bill co-authored by Rep. Mike that could provide a boost

to vaccine manufacturers - including Emergent BioDefense Operations of Lansing -

awaits the president's signature after winning final congressional approval as

part of larger public health legislation.

The House of Representatives approved the bill early Saturday before

adjourning for the year. The Senate approved the bill earlier last week.

President Bush was expected to sign it into law but it wasn't clear when. His

office was sorting through dozens of bills that Congress passed last week in a

rush to finish for the year.

The part of the bill that , R-Brighton, co-authored with Rep.

Eshoo, D-Calif., would create a new federal group to research and develop

vaccines, drugs and other responses to bioterrorism and outbreaks of diseases

such as avian flu. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority

would be a part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Under the bill, the department could make advance payments to vaccine and drug

manufacturers to help them finish developing new products.

" This measure opens up opportunities for hundreds of companies across the

nation to help make and keep Americans safe, " spokeswoman Sylvia Warner

said Tuesday.

Emergent, formerly known as BioPort Corp., has a $120 million contract to

deliver 5 million doses of anthrax vaccine to Health and Human Services by May

2007.

The vaccine will be part of a stockpile of medicines, called Project

BioShield, designed to protect Americans during a terrorist attack.

Emergent also is in the process of delivering 5 million doses of anthrax

vaccine over three years to the Department of Defense under a separate $124

million contract.

Emergent spokesman Burrows said the bill signals to his industry that

the government is committed to bioterror countermeasures.

" Longer term, this clearly creates a more enticing environment for companies

and may provide help for other areas of our portfolio, " Burrows said.

Emergent, which employs 325 people at its Lansing anthrax-manufacturing plant,

also is working to make its vaccine suitable for mass immunizations, Burrows

said.

Other projects include developing vaccines for botulism, typhoid, hepatitis B,

meningitis B and Group B strep.

Emergent's parent company, Emergent BioSolutions of Gaithersburg, Md., went

public in November. Six company executives, including chairman Fuad El-Hibri,

and El-Hibri's wife donated a total $13,100 to ' re-election campaign this

year, federal election records show.