Emergent Biosolutions awarded $23 million contract for the development of multi-drug auto injector device

Emergent Biosolutions said on Monday it has been awarded a contract worth approximately $23 million from the Medical Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Consortium (MCDC) for the development of an innovative multi-drug auto injector for nerve agent antidote delivery.

“Ease of use and rapid delivery of antidotes are critical features of auto-injectors that are intended to mitigate the health effects of nerve agent exposure,” Adam Havey, executive vice president of Business Operations at Emergent, said. “Emergent’s device seeks to satisfy the requirements of the Department of Defense (DOD) for a novel auto-injector platform technology, and we look forward to collaborating with our development partners to meet the DOD’s needs.”

Under terms of the new five-year agreement, Emergent will develop a device; demonstrate consistency in manufacturing, functionality, and usability of the final device; and complete regulatory activities required to obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use in a potential bioterrorism incident.

Established by the DOD’s Joint Project Manager for Medical Countermeasure Systems, the MCDC operates within the department’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense and works to provide U.S. military forces with innovative medical countermeasures for a variety of CBRN-related threats.

Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Emergent Biosolutions is a life sciences company that focuses on developing speciality products and countermeasures for both civilian and military customers that addresses a variety of emerging public health threats.