HPA awarded £4m contract for next generation anthrax vaccine

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has won a contract worth £4 million ($6.5 million) to develop a next generation anthrax vaccine at its facilities in Porton, Wiltshire, UK.

If all project targets are met, the programme could be worth up to £14 million.

The contract was awarded by the US government, through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is a part of the National Institute of Health.

Combining HPA's skills with anthrax vaccine antigens and US company NanoBio Corporation's adjuvant technology, if successful, the next generation vaccine could be delivered in fewer doses via an intra-nasal spray device instead of an injection.

An adjuvant is a pharmacological or immunological agent that modifies the effect of other agents, in this case a vaccine.

"We are delighted to achieve this award - we already manufacture anthrax vaccine for the UK and our expertise in this area is essential for the success of this programme," said Dr Roger Hinton, principal investigator and head of development and production at HPA Porton.

Anthrax is a bacterial infection created by the organism Bacillus anthracis. Humans are rarely affected, however the disease emerges most frequently in domestic and wild animals in Africa, Asia and parts of Europe.

People at high risk of contracting the infection, such as laboratory staff, people working with animal hides (particularly imported hides), in abattoirs or who may be handling the organism are recommended to receive the vaccine.

Attempts of biological terrorism have been made through the use of anthrax as a weapon. For example, the deliberate release of anthrax spores via letters through the post in the US in 2001 resulted in 22 human cases.

This contract will enable HPA to contend with other organisations developing similar vaccines.

"This multi-million dollar award is further evidence of the important role we can play in helping our partners worldwide in the key development of future biological products," stated Dr Howard Tranter, business development manager of HPA.

Posted by Neil Clark