Emergent BioSolutions, formerly Bioport, has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to produce contract development and manufacturing services for its COVID-19 vaccines.
“This agreement follows and is in addition to the landmark public-private CDMO partnership between Emergent and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced in June to pave the way for Operation Warp Speed high-priority innovators,” Emergent said in a press release.
This makes a total of three vaccine companies Emergent will be working with to produce COVID-19 vaccines; the other two are Novavax and Johnson & Johnson, along with BARDA. September 29, 2020, Rep. David Trone, D-Md., announced on Twitter that Emergent would be holding an online job fair September 30 with 300 job openings.
Dr. Meryl Nass, who has been studying anthrax vaccines and blogging on the topic since 2007, noted in a recent blog that Bioport “has never brought a product to market.” In a 2010 blog she noted that “Bioport’s anthrax vaccine could not be (legally) relicensed due to potency failures.”
Anthrax vaccination policy will be a topic at the National Vaccine Information Center’s Fifth International Public Conference on Vaccination, “Protecting Health and Autonomy in the 21st Century,” October 16 to 18, 2020. If you would like more information on the conference and how you can attend it online, click here.
SOURCES:
Anthrax Vaccine Posts by Meryl Nass, M.D. September 29, 2020
Twitter, Rep. David Trone September 29, 2020
Emergent BioSolutions July 27, 2020
Emergent BioSolutions July 6, 2020
Emergent BioSolutions June 1, 2020
Emergent BioSolutions March 10, 2020