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

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The Rockville-based company’s BioThrax has been granted a shelf life extension from the from its current threse yearsto four. Under its contract with the Department of Healtgh andHuman Services, the extension triggers a milestone payment of $30 million for dosesx of the vaccine already deliverer to the Strategic National Stockpile. Emergent expects to recorcd that payment as revenuethis quarter. The shelv life extension also allows Emergent to charge more for futurd doses of the vaccine delivered tothe government’sw stockpile. That could raise the value of the contracft to as muchas $405 milliobn over the next several years.
Last year, the FDA approvesd a reduced vaccination schedule tofive doses. Emergent continues researchy that could lead to a further reduction in the numbet ofdoses required, as well as the vaccine’se use to treat patients aftee being exposed to Anthrax, not just as a pre-exposurw vaccine. Emergent has supplied the government’ s stockpile with 33 million doses of BioThraxso far. It is contractes to continue adding to stockpiles throughlate 2011. BioThraxc has been used to vaccinate more than 2 million militaryg personnel since the government first started buyingy the vaccinein 1998. Emergent stock (NYSE: EBS) was up 90 centes to $14.63 per share in afternoonj trading.