The biotech company Human Genome Sciences says Monday it has signed a contract with HHS to provide a 10 gram sample of its drug ABthrax for $1.8 million for the agency to study.
The agreement gives the agency the option of buying 100,000 doses in the future, which could be worth $200 million or more.
Under the Project Bioshield initiative, the federal government is stockpiling drugs and vaccines to use in case of a widespread release of biological or chemical weapons.
Last year, a $877.5 million contract was awarded to VaxGen Inc. of Brisbane, Calif., to produce 75 million doses of an anthrax vaccine.
According to company spokesman Jerry Parrott, the company has already produced a limited amount and tested it in animals and for safety in humans.
