IP: Why Anthrax Vaccine Is Scarce

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

The vaccine against anthrax is in the hands of a single company that is 
running out of money, hasn't gained FDA approval for the vaccine or its 
manufacturing facilities and hasn't produced a single dose of the vaccine 
since it took over production in 1998.

The entire United States is relying on BioPort, of Lansing, Michigan, to 
produce the anthrax vaccine, for which demand has spiked since Sept. 11. 
The company has supplied the military with only half a million doses out of 
14 million promised, leaving even front-line military personnel unprotected 
in the event of a bio-terrorism attack.

http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47410,00.html


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