Emergent BioSolutions awards renewed five-year contract to supply chemical agent-neutralizing lotion to US military

A five-year, $171 million contract was recently awarded to Emergent BioSolutions by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to supply the company’s Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion kit (RSDL), which protects human skin from chemical warfare agents and the T-2 toxin, for use by all branches of the U.S. military.

Currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and licensed by Health Canada, the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, RSDL also recently became commercially available to the American public. It is Emergent’s first direct-to-civilian product available in its portfolio. RSDL is available for purchase by civilians in the U.S. on Amazon.com.

“Emergent’s continued supply of RSDL reinforces our longstanding commitment to partner with governments around the world to provide life-saving products that protect against chemical and biological health threats,” Sean Kirk, senior vice president of Manufacturing at Emergent, said.

Consisting of a sponge filled with a lotion in an impermeable packet, RSDL’s decontamination effects occurs from applying the product to bare skin after being exposed to a dangerous agent or T-2 toxin. Once applied, the lotion reacts with the agent and quickly neutralizes it to become nontoxic for the wearer. The lotion must remain on the skin for at least two minutes before being washed away with clean water when safe conditions permit.

Specifically, the lotion can safely neutralize the effects of contact with T-2, soman, sarin, cyclohexyl sarin, VX, VR and mustard agents, all of which are classified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as nerve agents due to their harmful effects on the human nervous system.

“We are pleased with this renewed DoD contract, which follows a recent successful launch of RSDL in the commercial market,” Kirk said. “Supporting preparedness efforts of both civilians and military forces is an important part of Emergent’s mission – to protect life.”