BioThrax

...now browsing by tag

 
 

Emergent BioSolutions’ Investigational Anthrax Vaccine, NuThrax, Granted Fast Track Designation

Friday, June 10th, 2011

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jun 09, 2011 — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that its investigational anthrax vaccine, NuThraxTM (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed with CPG 7909 Adjuvant), has been granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The vaccine candidate, also known as AV7909, consists of BioThrax(R) (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) in combination with a novel immunostimulatoryoligodeoxynucleotide compound, CPG 7909, and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b clinical trial for safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity. The FDA’s Fast Track Development Program provides for expedited regulatory review of drugs and biologics that treat serious or life threatening diseases and that demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs.

“Emergent is pleased to receive Fast Track Designation for NuThrax,” said Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, president and chief operating officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “Expedited regulatory review could mean more frequent communications with FDA, priority review of Biologics License Applications (BLA) for our vaccine, and a rolling BLA submission, which allows FDA to review sections of the BLA in advance of receiving the complete submission.”

The Phase 1b trial for NuThrax is being conducted with support from a development contract that is jointly administered under contract number HHSN272200800051C by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Office of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions, led by Chairman and CEO Fuad El-Hibri, protects and enhances life by developing and manufacturing vaccines and therapeutics that are supplied to healthcare providers and purchasers for use in preventing and treating disease. Emergent’s marketed and investigational products target infectious diseases, oncology, and autoimmune disorders. Additional information about the company may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2011, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates”, “may”, “would”, “will”, and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including the success of our preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates and post-approval clinical utility of our products; the rate and degree of market acceptance of our products; the success of our ongoing and planned development programs; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our other product candidates; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

SOURCE: Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Posted in Chief executive officer, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Fuad El-Hibri, NuThrax, U.S. Food and Drug Administration | No Responses »
Tags: , , , ,

Emergent BioSolutions on Track to Complete Delivery of 14.5M Doses of BioThrax to the US Government Ahead of Schedule

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 31, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that eight lots of BioThrax(R) (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) have received regulatory release for delivery to the U.S. government under the company’s contract (200-2009-30162) originally written to supply 14.5 million doses of BioThrax to the Strategic National Stockpile. This marks the largest single-week regulatory release of product for delivery in the company’s history. The company expects to complete delivery of the 14.5 million doses as early as June, approximately three months ahead of the schedule originally set forth in the contract. BioThrax is the only vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect against anthrax infection.

“Emergent is pleased with its progress towards early completion of its original procurement contract to supply 14.5 million doses of BioThrax,” said Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, president and chief operating officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “Upon completion of this delivery, anticipated to occur as early as June, the company will focus on delivering the additional 3.42 million doses under the modified procurement contract. With the recent request for proposal issued by the U.S. government, Emergent is also advancing discussions to supply 44.75 million doses of BioThrax over the next five years.”

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions.led by Chairman and CEO Fuad El-Hibri, protects and enhances life by developing and manufacturing vaccines and therapeutics that are supplied to healthcare providers and purchasers for use in preventing and treating disease. Emergent’s marketed and investigational products target infectious diseases, oncology and autoimmune disorders. Additional information about the company may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.

About BioThrax

BioThrax is the only FDA-licensed vaccine for the prevention of anthrax infection. It is indicated for the active immunization of adults who are at high risk of exposure to anthrax. BioThrax is manufactured from a culture filtrate, made from a non-virulent strain of Bacillus anthracis. To date, Emergent has delivered over 42 million doses of BioThrax to the U.S. government and continues to deliver additional doses under active procurement contracts. Since 1998, over 10 million doses have been administered to more than 2.5 million military personnel. For full prescribing information, please visit www.biothrax.com/prescribinginformation_biothrax_us.pdf.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2011, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax(R) procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax(R) sales contracts or modifications to existing contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax(R); our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance of our products; the success of preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates and post-approval clinical utility of our products; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

SOURCE: Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Posted in BioThrax, Chief executive officer, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Food and Drug Administration, Fuad El-Hibri, U.S. Food and Drug Administration | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

Emergent BioSolutions Reports Financial Results for First Quarter 2011

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 05, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Emergent BioSolutionsInc. (NYSE: EBS) announced  its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011.

For 1Q 2011, total revenues were $18.5 million as compared to $46.8 million in 2010. In addition, for 1Q 2011 the company recorded a net loss of $21.4 million, or $0.61 per basic share, as compared to net income of $2.5 million, or $0.08 per basic share, in 2010.

R. Don Elsey, chief financial officer of Emergent BioSolutions, stated, “While our first quarter revenues were slightly lower than expected, we remain on track to achieve our full year guidance of total revenues of $320 to $340 million and net income of $35 to $45 million.”

1Q 2011 Key Financial Results

Product Sales

For 1Q 2011, product sales were $5.6 million, a decrease of $33.3 million, or 86 percent, from $38.9 million for 1Q 2010. This decrease was primarily due to an 88 percent decrease in the number of doses of BioThrax delivered. During the first quarter, the company redeployed its potency testing capacity from BioThrax release testing to qualification of replacement reference standards and other development testing. This process, which is required to enable continued future release of BioThrax doses, has now been substantially completed. Product sales revenues for 1Q 2011 consisted of BioThrax sales to CDC of $5.0 million and aggregate international and other sales of $0.6 million.

Contracts and Grants Revenues

For 1Q 2011, contracts and grants revenues were $12.9 million, an increase of $5.0 million, or 63 percent, from $7.9 million for 1Q 2010. The increase was primarily due to revenues from the recently awarded contract from BARDA for large-scale manufacturing for BioThrax, collaborations with Abbott and Pfizer, along with increased activity and associated revenue from development contracts with BARDA and NIAID.

Cost of Product Sales

For 1Q 2011, cost of product sales was $1.1 million, a decrease of $6.4 million, or 86 percent, from $7.5 million for 1Q 2010. This decrease was primarily attributable to the 88 percent decrease in the number of BioThrax doses sold.

Research and Development

For 1Q 2011, research and development expenses were $34.8 million, an increase of $14.8 million, or 74 percent, from $19.9 million for 1Q 2010. This increase primarily reflects higher contract service and personnel costs, and includes increased expenses of $13.9 million on product candidates and technology platform development activities associated with the BioSciences segment and increased expenses of $0.9 million on product candidates associated with the BioDefense segment. Net of development contracts and grants reimbursement revenue along with the net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests, research and development expenses were $20.0 million for 1Q 2011.

Selling, General and Administrative

For 1Q 2011, selling, general and administrative expenses were $18.2 million, an increase of $2.0 million, or 12 percent, from $16.2 million for 1Q 2010. This increase is primarily due to increased personnel-related expenses and professional services to support the business. Selling, general and administrative expenses for 1Q 2011 consisted of $14.0 million associated with the BioDefense segment and $4.2 million associated with the BioSciences segment.

Financial Condition and Liquidity

Cash and cash equivalents combined with investments at March 31, 2011 was $143.3 million compared to $171.0 million at December 31, 2010. Additionally, at March 31, 2011, the accounts receivable balance was $12.0 million, which is comprised primarily of unpaid amounts under our NIAID and BARDA development contracts.

2Q 2011 Revenue Forecast

For the second quarter of 2011, the company anticipates total revenues of $80 to $90 million.

2011 Forecast

For full year 2011, the company is reaffirming its financial forecast of total revenues of $320 to $340 million and net income of $35 to $45 million.

2011 total revenue is expected to be driven by, among other things:

  • the continuation of deliveries of BioThrax under the current multi-year procurement contract with CDC, which was recently modified to increase the total contracted doses to 17.9 million;
  • additional deliveries of BioThrax under a follow-on, multi-year procurement contract with CDC, anticipated to begin in 4Q 2011;
  • a significant increase in contracts and grants revenue based primarily on development contracts related to product development programs in the company’s BioDefense segment; and
  • collaboration and milestone revenues associated with achievement of clinical development milestones related to the company’s oncology product candidate, which is under an existing co-development agreement with Abbott, and the company’s autoimmune product candidate, which is being developed by Pfizer under a license agreement from the company.

Conference Call and Webcast

Company management hosted a conference call at 5:00 pm Eastern on May 5, 2011 to discuss the financial results for the first quarter of 2011, recent business developments, revenue guidance for the second quarter of 2011 and revenue and net income guidance for the full year 2011.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible by dialing 888/286-8010 or 617/801-6888 and using the passcode 12159691. The replay will be available through May 19, 2011. The webcast will be archived on the company’s website, www.emergentbiosolutions.com, under “Investors”.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions, led by Chairman and CEO, Fuad El-Hibri, protects and enhances life by developing and manufacturing vaccines and therapeutics that are supplied to healthcare providers and purchasers for use in preventing and treating disease. Emergent’s marketed and investigational products target infectious diseases, oncology and autoimmune disorders. Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our estimates of preliminary results for 2010, and our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2011, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax(R) procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax(R) sales contracts or modifications to existing contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax(R); our ability to perform under our current development contracts with the U.S. government; our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance of our products and product candidates; the success of preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates and post-approval clinical utility of our products; the potential benefits of our existing collaborations and our ability to selectively enter into additional collaborative arrangements; ongoing and planned development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials; and other factors identified in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Posted in BioDefense, BioThrax, Business, Chief executive officer, Chief financial officer, Revenue | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

Emergent BioSolutions Reports Financial Results for Full Year 2010

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
  • 2010 revenues of $286.2 million
  • 2010 net income of $51.7 million, or $1.63 per share, representing ninth consecutive year of profitability
  • 2010 cash, investments and accounts receivable balance of $210.4 million
  • 2011 forecast reaffirmed: total revenues of $320 to $340 million and net income of $35 to $45 million

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) announced on 10 March its financial results for the full year ending December 31, 2010.

Total revenues for 2010 were $286.2 million as compared to $234.8 million in 2009, and net income was $51.7 million, or $1.63 per basic share, as compared to $31.1 million, or $1.02 per basic share, in 2009.

For the fourth quarter 2010, total revenues were $103.2 million as compared to $53.8 million in 2009, and net income was $26.2 million, or $0.78 per basic share, as compared to $4.2 million, or $0.14 per basic share, in 2009.

R. Don Elsey, chief financial officer of Emergent BioSolutions, stated, "Our 2010 financial performance reflects our continued success in growing revenue from the sale of BioThrax(R) and government development contracts, as well as from development collaborations with our large pharma partners. We achieved this revenue growth while closely managing our overall expenditures even as we continued to advance our pipeline of vaccines and therapeutics targeting key disease areas. We expect to continue our growth in 2011, as evidenced by our reaffirmed 2011 forecast of total revenues of $320 to $340 million and net income of $35 to $45 million."

2010 Key Operational Accomplishments

  • Acquired Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for a total consideration of up to $131.6 million, including $92.9 million in upfront cash and stock and up to $38.7 million of success-based milestones, payable between October 2010 and October 2013;
  • Secured a BARDA development contract, valued at up to $107.0 million, to fund qualification, validation and licensure of Building 55 in order to manufacture BioThrax(R) (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) at large-scale;
  • Secured a BARDA development contract, valued at up to $186.6 million, to fund development of our rPA vaccine candidate PreviThraxTM (Recombinant Protective Antigen Anthrax Vaccine, Purified);
  • Secured a NIAID development contract, valued at up to $28.7 million, to fund further development of NuThraxTM (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed with CPG 7909 Adjuvant), the second contract award for this vaccine candidate;
  • Launched Singapore operations and formed EPIC Bio, Pte. Ltd., a joint venture with Temasek Life Sciences Ventures Pte. Ltd., to develop, manufacture, and commercialize pre-pandemic influenza vaccines and therapeutics;
  • Obtained Fast Track designation and Orphan Drug status from FDA for ThravixaTM (Fully Human Anthrax Monoclonal Antibody);
  • Initiated a Phase 1 clinical study for Thravixa;
  • Initiated a Phase 1 clinical study for NuThrax; and

Expanded the Board of Directors with the appointment of John E. Niederhuber, M.D., former Director, The National Cancer Institute (NCI), and Marvin White, Chief Financial Officer, St. Vincent Health and former Chief Financial Officer, LillyUSA.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions, led by Chairman and CEOFuad El-Hibri, protects and enhances life by developing and manufacturing vaccines and therapeutics that are supplied to healthcare providers and purchasers for use in preventing and treating disease. Emergent’s marketed and investigational products target infectious diseases, oncology and autoimmune disorders. Additional information may be found at http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emergentbiosolutions.com&esheet=6643305&lan=en-US&anchor=www.emergentbiosolutions.com&index=3&md5=974c9d419f86092b960b6d8622d54f18.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our estimates of preliminary results for 2010, and our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2011, and any other statements containing the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "estimates" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax(R) procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax(R) sales contracts or modifications to existing contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax(R); our ability to perform under our current development contracts with the U.S. government; our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance of our products and product candidates; the success of preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates and post-approval clinical utility of our products; the potential benefits of our existing collaborations and our ability to selectively enter into additional collaborative arrangements; ongoing and planned development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2010 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Posted in Board of Directors, Business, Chief executive officer, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Financial Results, Fuad El-Hibri | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

Emergent BioSolutions Awarded NIAID Contract That Increases Potential Funding to Over $58 Million for Advanced Development of Third Generation Anthrax Vaccine

Friday, September 10th, 2010

New Contract Valued at up to $28.7 Million for Phase II Clinical Trial

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sep 01, 2010 –Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that it has signed a contract valued at up to $28.7 million with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for advanced development of the company’s third generation anthrax vaccine candidate. The award of this contract increases to over $58 million the total potential development funding from NIAID for this product. This product candidate, one of two third generation vaccines being developed as part of Emergent’s anthrax franchise, consists of BioThrax(R) (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) in combination with a novel immunostimulatory compound, CPG 7909 (VaxImmuneTM).

“Emergent applauds the U.S. government’s commitment to protecting the nation against biological threats by supporting critical development of advanced vaccine and therapeutic candidates,” said Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, president and chief operating officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “We believe our vaccine candidate addresses key criteria established by the government for a third generation anthrax vaccine. If successfully developed, we believe this product would strengthen the government’s portfolio of biodefense medical countermeasures.”

This four-year development contract consists of a two-year base, valued at $9.1 million, and milestone-based options that if exercised, would increase the total contract value to up to $28.7 million. The base contract will fund activities related to manufacturing and stability studies of Phase II clinical trial lots, process characterization and assay validation, and clinical trial preparation. The milestone-based options include continued stability testing of Phase II clinical trial lots and a clinical study to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of the product candidate. The Phase II clinical trial is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2012, with preliminary data expected to be available in the second half of 2012.

This new contract was awarded to expand the development efforts being conducted under a Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)/NIAID contract awarded in September 2008, which provides for funding of up to $29.7 million. Thus, with this new contract, the potential funding from the U.S. government for this third generation anthrax vaccine candidate increases to over $58 million.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.
Emergent BioSolutions Inc., led by Chairman and CEO Fuad El-Hibri, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of vaccines and antibody therapies that assist the body’s immune system to prevent or treat disease. Emergent’s marketed product, BioThrax(R) (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), is the only vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax infection. Emergent’s product pipeline targets infectious diseases and includes programs focused on anthrax, tuberculosis, typhoid, flu and chlamydia.Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com .

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2010, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including the success of our ongoing and planned preclinical studies and clinical trials; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax(R); the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the success of our ongoing and planned development programs; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our other product candidates; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Posted in Anthrax vaccines, BioThrax, Chief executive officer, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Fuad El-Hibri, Research and development, Vaccine | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

Emergent Revises Upward 2010 Financial Forecast

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Company anticipates total revenues of $275 to $300 million and net income of $40 to $50 million

ROCKVILLE, MD, July 20, 2010 – Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that it is revising upwards its 2010 annual guidance to now reflect anticipated total revenues of $275 to $300 million and net income of $40 to $50 million.  Of the anticipated total revenues of $275 to $300 million, $165 to $190 million is expected to be recognized in the second half of 2010.  This revised forecast does not reflect or incorporate any revenue impact from a possible development contract for the company’s rPA vaccine candidate.

The revision to the 2010 financial forecast is supported primarily by the recent modification to the company’s current BioThrax® procurement contract with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  This contract modification increased the number of doses of BioThrax that the company can deliver into the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) during calendar 2010.  This increased volume of available doses of BioThrax is due to consistently high production yields throughout 2010.

“This modification by the CDC to our existing BioThrax procurement contract reinforces, yet again, the US government’s commitment to BioThrax as a critical component of the Strategic National Stockpile and to our nation’s defense against bioterrorism,” said Fuad El-Hibri, chairman and chief executive officer of Emergent.  “This is another example of how we continue to work with our US government partners in establishing BioThrax as the backbone of our readiness against the threat of anthrax and to building a stockpile as rapidly as possible.”

Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, president and chief operating officer of Emergent, also commented, “The production yields we have been experiencing are a direct result of our commitment to driving innovation in our manufacturing process and to a multi-year initiative focused on process optimization of the existing Building 12 production facility.  We are extremely pleased with the results of our continuous process improvement program for BioThrax and expect this program to drive the maintenance of positive production metrics going forward.”

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of vaccines and antibody therapies that assist the body’s immune system to prevent or treat disease.  Emergent’s marketed product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), is the only vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax infection.  Emergent’s product pipeline targets infectious diseases and includes programs focused on anthrax, tuberculosis, typhoid, flu and chlamydia.  Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.

About BioThrax®

BioThrax is the only FDA-licensed vaccine for the prevention of anthrax infection.  It is indicated for the active immunization of adults who are at high risk of exposure to anthrax.  BioThrax is manufactured from a culture filtrate, made from a non-virulent strain of Bacillus anthracis.  Since 1998, the U.S. government has procured over 45 million doses of BioThrax.  During that time period, more than 9.6 million doses have been administered to nearly 2.4 million military personnel.  For full prescribing information, please visit www.biothrax.com/prescribinginformation_biothrax_us.pdf.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2010, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax® procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax® sales contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax®; our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the success of our ongoing and planned development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials; our ability to identify and acquire or in license products and product candidates that satisfy our selection criteria; the potential benefits of our existing collaboration agreements and our ability to enter into selective additional collaboration arrangements; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our other product candidates; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; our manufacturing success rates; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Posted in Anthrax vaccines, BioThrax, Chief executive officer, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Fuad El-Hibri | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley Leads Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Emergent’s Baltimore Manufacturing Facility

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

ROCKVILLE, MD, July 16, 2010 – Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today held a ribbon cutting ceremony, led by Governor Martin O’Malley and Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent’s chairman and chief executive officer, to mark the formal opening of Emergent Manufacturing Operations Baltimore.  Emergent’s new facility consists of 56,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space, and includes multiple manufacturing suites designed to support clinical and commercial manufacture of the company’s rPA, anthrax monoclonal, and tuberculosis product candidates, among others.

“The Baltimore facility symbolizes Emergent’s continued investment in manufacturing as one of its core competencies and competitive advantages,” said Mr. El-Hibri.  “It is also a testament to Emergent’s commitment to the State of Maryland, where we are proud to be a key contributor to economic development and job growth.”

“Maryland has a reputation of being a haven for thriving life sciences and biotechnology companies, thanks to industry leaders like Emergent BioSolutions,” said Governor O’Malley. “Emergent’s expansion into Baltimore, through the purchase and re-commissioning of this facility, enables significant investment in the biotech infrastructure already in place and ensures that high-paying, highly-skilled jobs are created and remain in Maryland.”

Emergent employs over 680 employees across the globe, with 180 employees located in Maryland, where, aside from the Baltimore manufacturing facility, its corporate headquarters and one of its product development sites are located.  The opening of this new facility could create an additional 120 jobs in the next five years.

“The opening of this new biopharmaceutical facility is good news for three reasons: jobs, jobs and more jobs for Maryland,” said Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD-D). “To keep our state competitive in the global economy, we have to create and support Maryland’s jobs of the future, like the innovative life sciences jobs at Emergent BioSolutions. I’m proud that East Baltimore has been selected to house a facility dedicated to research that will keep Americans healthy and safe.”

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Fuad El-Hibri

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Fuad El-Hibri

“I’m pleased to welcome Emergent BioSolutions to Baltimore,” said Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-D).  “This manufacturing facility helps Maryland maintain its status as a leader in the bioscience industry and brings more than 100 high paid, high skilled jobs for Marylanders.”

“Baltimore City is excited about Emergent BioSolutions’ decision to invest here, which will create many jobs and contribute a great deal to the Baltimore biotech industry,” Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.  “I welcome Emergent BioSolutions to Baltimore City and look forward to the company’s growth in one of Baltimore’s key industries.”

The company is currently working on modifying and re-commissioning the facility.  Planned facility modifications will allow for the utilization of disposable manufacturing technology to potentially result in lower capital investments, lower operating costs, and accelerated process development timelines.  The facility previously operated as a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed facility used by an experienced contract manufacturing organization to produce a number of products approved by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of vaccines and antibody therapies that assist the body’s immune system to prevent or treat disease. Emergent’s marketed product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), is the only vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax infection.  Emergent’s product pipeline targets infectious diseases and includes programs focused on anthrax, tuberculosis, typhoid, flu and chlamydia. Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2010, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax® procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax® sales contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax®; our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the success of our ongoing and planned development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials; our ability to identify and acquire or in license products and product candidates that satisfy our selection criteria; the potential benefits of our existing collaboration agreements and our ability to enter into selective additional collaboration arrangements; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our other product candidates; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Posted in Anthrax vaccines, BioThrax, Chief executive officer, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Fuad El-Hibri | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Emergent BioSolutions Awarded HHS Contract Valued at Up to $107 Million to Develop Large-Scale Manufacturing for BioThrax

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jul 14, 2010

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that it has signed a contract valued at up to $107 million with the Office of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to develop and obtain regulatory approval for large-scale manufacturing of BioThrax(R) (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) in Building 55. Building 55 is the company’s large-scale state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing facility in Lansing, Michigan.

“In line with Emergent’s mission of protecting life, we are proud to be working with HHS to scale-up manufacturing of BioThrax, the only vaccine licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of anthrax infection,” said Fuad El-Hibri, chairman and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “We applaud HHS for its unwavering commitment to strengthen the country’s biodefense infrastructure and to protect our military and civilian populations.”

This cost plus fixed fee development contract has a total value of $107 million and consists of a two-year base period of performance valued at $54.6 million and three option years that, if exercised by BARDA, would increase the contract value to up to $107 million. Under the contract, the company anticipates recognizing revenues of up to $10 million and pretax earnings of up to $5 million during the second half of 2010. A substantial majority of the value of the $107 million contract will be realized in the first three years of performance (July 2010 to July 2013), assuming exercise of the first option year.

The contract award is based on a technical proposal provided to BARDA that projects an annual large-scale manufacturing capacity of 26 million doses in Building 55. This is a significant increase from the company’s current capacity of approximately 7-8 million doses per annum.

The company has developed a comprehensive plan to demonstrate comparability between the current manufacturing process and the large-scale manufacturing process for BioThrax. The contract will fund activities related to process validation, assay validation, fill/finish, and if required, non-clinical and clinical studies. The plan also includes regulatory activities in support of the submission to FDA of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for BioThrax at the expanded scale. The company expects to begin manufacturing consistency lots as early as the fourth quarter of 2011.

Emergent has invested significant resources in Building 55, which has been designed to manufacture up to 25 to 30 million doses of BioThrax as currently configured, and is expandable by adding a second manufacturing train that would double annual capacity, based on demand. This is aligned with the company’s core strategy to enhance its manufacturing capabilities to meet the increasing government demand for anthrax vaccines for inclusion in the SNS.

The company also continues to enhance the attractiveness of BioThrax as a significant component of the SNS, most recently through FDA approval of extended shelf life to four years. In addition, based on data from a seven-year study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the company has submitted to FDA an sBLA to further reduce the BioThrax vaccination schedule to three doses within six months with triennial booster vaccinations. To date, Emergent has supplied over 42 million doses of BioThrax to the U.S. government with additional deliveries scheduled through the third quarter of 2011 pursuant to the current procurement contract with HHS.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of vaccines and antibody therapies that assist the body’s immune system to prevent or treat disease. Emergent’s marketed product, BioThrax(R) (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), is the only vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax infection. Emergent’s product pipeline targets infectious diseases and includes programs focused on anthrax, tuberculosis, typhoid, flu and chlamydia. Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.

About BioThrax

BioThrax is the only FDA-licensed vaccine for the prevention of anthrax infection. It is indicated for the active immunization of adults who are at high risk of exposure to anthrax. BioThrax is manufactured from a culture filtrate, made from a non-virulent strain of Bacillus anthracis. Since 1998, the U.S. government has procured over 42 million doses of BioThrax. During that time period, more than 9.6 million doses have been administered to nearly 2.4 million military personnel. For full prescribing information, please visit www.biothrax.com/prescribinginformation_biothrax_us.pdf.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2010, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax(R) procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax(R) sales contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax(R); our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the success of our ongoing and planned development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials; our ability to identify and acquire or in license products and product candidates that satisfy our selection criteria; the potential benefits of our existing collaboration agreements and our ability to enter into selective additional collaboration arrangements; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our other product candidates; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Posted in BioThrax, Chief executive officer, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Fuad El-Hibri, Health Care, Research and development, Vaccine | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

Emergent BioSolutions Completes Deliveries of BioThrax to Allied Foreign Governments

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

ROCKVILLE, MD, June 24, 2010 – Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) led by CEO Fuad El-Hibri,announced today that it has completed separate international sales and deliveries of BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) to governments of several allied nations.  The company’s international sales efforts have resulted in these sales of an undisclosed number of BioThrax doses for aggregate revenue of approximately $2.3 million in the second quarter.

“Emergent recognizes that governments play a key role in protecting citizens against the growing threat of bioterrorism,” said Allen Shofe, senior vice president public affairs of Emergent BioSolutions.  “As the maker of the only U.S. FDA-licensed anthrax vaccine, and in line with our corporate mission to protect life, we are honored to support such biopreparedness efforts of allied international governments.”

About BioThrax

BioThrax is the only U.S. FDA-licensed vaccine for the prevention of anthrax infection.  It is indicated for the active immunization of adults who are at high risk of exposure to anthrax.  BioThrax is manufactured from a culture filtrate, made from a non-virulent strain of Bacillus anthracis. Since 1998, the U.S. government has procured over 42 million doses of BioThrax.  During that time period, more than 9.5 million doses have been administered to nearly 2.4 million military personnel.  For full prescribing information, please visit www.biothrax.com/prescribinginformation_biothrax_us.pdf.

Important Safety Information for BioThrax®

The most common (>10%) local (injection-site) adverse reactions observed in clinical studies were tenderness, pain, erythema and arm motion limitation. The most common (>5%) systemic adverse reactions were muscle aches, fatigue and headache. Serious allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock, have been observed during post-marketing surveillance in individuals receiving BioThrax.

Pregnant women should not be vaccinated unless the potential benefits of vaccination have been determined to outweigh the potential risk to the fetus. If BioThrax is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant during the immunization series, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus. This product should be administered with caution to persons with a possible history of latex sensitivity since the vial stopper contains dry natural rubber.

Vaccination with BioThrax should be avoided by individuals with a history of anaphylactic or anaphylactic-like reaction following a previous dose of BioThrax.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of vaccines and antibody therapies that assist the body’s immune system to prevent or treat disease.  Emergent’s marketed product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), is the only vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax infection.  Emergent’s product pipeline targets infectious diseases and includes programs focused on anthrax, tuberculosis, typhoid, flu and chlamydia.  Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2010, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax® procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax® sales contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax®; our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the success of our ongoing and planned development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Posted in BioThrax, Chief executive officer, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Fuad El-Hibri, Health Care, Vaccine | No Responses »
Tags: , , , ,

Emergent BioSolutions Announces That BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) Receives Market Authorization in India

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (EBS) announced today that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued a registration certificate for BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), which enables the marketing and sale of the vaccine in India to help prevent anthrax infection. Emergent BioSolutions has signed a marketing agreement with Biological E. Limited for the marketing of BioThrax in India. BioThrax is the only vaccine for the prevention of anthrax infection licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The BioThrax market authorization for India follows the publication in 2008 of the National Disaster Management Guidelines by the Indian National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which is the government body that oversees disaster management. In that document, the government of India provided guidance with respect to the management of biological disasters and stated that there is a need to have a supply of readily available anthrax vaccines to be administered rapidly in the event of an outbreak. The report goes on to state that all first responders will be vaccinated in an impending disaster situation.

Fuad El-Hibri, chairman and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions, stated, “The Government of India has been explicit in expressing its commitment to protect its population from the continuing threat of bioterrorism. We are certainly pleased that BioThrax will be a valuable countermeasure available to the Government of India to achieve that goal. Today marks a pivotal milestone in Emergent’s efforts to expand globally and further our mission of protecting life.”

About BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed)

BioThrax is the only FDA-licensed vaccine for the prevention of anthrax infection. It is licensed by the FDA as a pre-exposure prophylaxis for use in adults who are at high risk of exposure to anthrax spores. BioThrax is manufactured from a culture filtrate, made from a non-virulent strain of Bacillus anthracis and contains no dead or live bacteria. Since 1998, the U.S. government has procured nearly 33.5 million doses of BioThrax. During that time period, nearly 8.4 million doses have been administered to more than 2.1 million military personnel. BioThrax cannot cause anthrax infection. Please visit www.emergentbiosolutions.com/pdf/emergent_biothrax_us.pdf for full prescribing information.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of immune-related biologic products, consisting of vaccines and therapeutics that assist the body’s immune system to prevent or treat disease. Emergent’s marketed product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), is the only vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax infection. Emergent’s development pipeline includes programs focused on anthrax, botulism, typhoid, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and chlamydia. Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax sales contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax; our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our other product candidates; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; and other factors identified in the company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Posted in Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed, BioThrax, Emergent BioSolutions Inc, Fuad El-Hibri, India | No Responses »
Tags: , , , ,