Acambis wins smallpox vaccine contract from US government

Source: Healthcare Exec

Date :25/04/2008 07:03:21

Acambis Plc, the vaccine maker, has won a $425 million contract to supply the US government with a smallpox vaccine for ten years.

The agreement is the second smallpox vaccine contract for Acambis. The company has already supplied the US government with more than $500 million of standard smallpox vaccines.

CDC order

As part of the deal, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will receive nine million doses of the ACAM2000 vaccine annually, which will be delivered between the third and last year of the contract.

Ian Garland, chief executive, said there was potential for the CDC to order up to 39 million doses starting in the fifth year of the deal, which would increase the total value of the contract to $660 million.

Acambis also unveiled plans to raise £40 million through a placing and open offer of 37.7 million new shares at 115p each.

Vaccine pipeline

Analysts welcomed the deal, saying that the fully-underwritten share placing had removed near-term funding risk and the contract would allow Acambis to shift its focus to its vaccine pipeline, which is largely in partnership with Sanofi Pasteur.

Peter Fellner, chairman, said the company would focus on its Clostridium difficile vaccine, which goes into Phase II trials this year. The company has the only vaccine in development against the hospital bug.

April 25, 2008