Emergent BioSolutions’ auto-injector to be tested, developed by Department of Defense

Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., announced on Wednesday that its ruggedized, military-grade auto-injector platform will be tested and developed as a platform for nerve agent antidote delivery by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Battelle.

Emergent’s Emergard platform, selected from several commercially available auto-injector devices, is designed to be transported, stored and operated in a military environment, and to ensure needle penetration and successful injection through chemical protective gear.

“We are pleased that our Emergard platform has been selected by DoD and Battelle for testing and development to address U.S. military auto-injector needs,” Adam Havey, executive vice president and president of the biodefense division at Emergent BioSolutions, said. “The Emergard platform, which is designed for intramuscular self-injection of antidotes and other emergency response medical treatments for nerve agents and other chemical threats, is another example of Emergent’s commitment to protecting lives and being a global leader in the development and manufacture of medical countermeasures that address biological and chemical threats as well as emerging infectious diseases.”

DoD and Battelle’s development and testing of Emergard is expected to be finished in 2016. The testing will be performed under a subcontract with Battelle, which holds a prime contract with DoD. The contract is supported by the Defense Technical Information Center, which is the largest central resource for DoD and government-funded research, development, technical and engineering information. Additionally, Emergard has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

If successful, the auto-injector platform could potentially see future procurement for U.S. military and emergency responder use.