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Biosecurity Briefing
HHS Announces CBRN Advisory Board and Pandemic Vaccine Contracts By Shana Deitch, June 22, 2007 In a June 19, 2007, press release, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the agency has established a public health advisory board to provide guidance on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.1 The National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB) will consist of 13 members who will advise the Secretary on preventing, preparing for, and responding to the naturally occurring or intentional release of these agents as well as countermeasure research and development. The NBSB was authorized by the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PL 109-417), passed by Congress in December 2006. According to Secretary Leavitt, “Planning responses to incidents involving chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological agents requires state of the art science. This new advisory board will add a wide range of expertise and viewpoints from outside of government to help inform HHS decision-making processes.”1 Board members will be approved by the Secretary and will include experts in science, public health, and medicine. Four board members are to be chosen from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, and four members are to be selected from academic institutions. According to the press release, of the remaining five members, one will be from an agency that represents healthcare consumers and one will be a practicing healthcare professional.1 Interested parties can submit curricula vitae for consideration to nbsbnominations@hhs.gov. In pandemic flu news, in a June 14, 2007, press release, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the department has awarded “cost-reimbursable” contracts to two pharmaceutical companies to expand domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity over five years.1 The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and its Office of Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will oversee these contracts. The contracts provide $77.4 million to sanofi pasteur and $55.1 million to MedImmune to retrofit existing manufacturing facilities “on a cost-sharing” basis and to maintain warm-base manufacturing to produce vaccine for pandemic influenza. The funding for overhauls to manufacturing facilities is for two years; funding for warm-base operations is also for two years with an option for three more years.1 HHS estimates that upon completion of the upgrades, manufacturing capacity will increase by 16%. The HHS Pandemic Preparedness Plan calls for the expansion of domestic vaccine manufacturing surge capacity for 300 million people within six months of the start of a flu pandemic. References
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