U.S. CDC TO ORDER 10 MILLION MORE DOSES OF SMALLPOX VACCINE

Acambis announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has agreed to order an additional 10 million doses of ACAM2000, the British drugmaker's investigational smallpox vaccine. The order is worth approximately $30 million.

The CDC has agreed to procure the doses under the existing supply contract, under which Acambis produced and delivered 182.5 million doses of ACAM2000 for the U.S.'s Strategic National Stockpile.

In addition, advanced negotiations are continuing to finalize a long-term warm-base manufacturing contract, which Acambis expects to be awarded following FDA approval of ACAM2000. A biologics license application for ACAM2000 is currently under FDA review, according to the company.

The aim of the warm-base manufacturing program is to provide smallpox vaccine production capability entirely in the U.S. To achieve this, all stages of the bulk production process are being transferred to Acambis' Canton, Mass., facility, and lyophilisation and fill/finish activities will take place at Acambis' Rockville, Md., facility.