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• Wednesday, August 6, 2008 09:07 AM

  Some misinformation here on the anthrax vaccine issue.

  The traditional anthrax vaccine, the one that's been made by Emergent Biosolutions and Battelle for the U.S. Army, is a typical killed bacterium vaccine - grow up the bacteria, kill it using heat or lyophilization, and use that solution of dead cell parts to activate the human immune system. Emergent Biosolutions used to be called Bioport:

  BioPort Corporation was founded in 1998 for the sole purpose of acquiring the assets of the Michigan Biologic Products Institute from the State of Michigan. For seventy years prior to 1998, the State of Michigan, through various agencies, had manufactured vaccines.

  In 1996, Michigan Governor John Engler created a new state agency, the "Michigan Biologics Products Institute." This new agency was limited to a two-year term of existence. This action, along with the creation of a three-person commission (Michigan Biologics Products Commission) was the beginning of the privatization of Michigan's vaccine facility.

  Yes, in 1996, under Clinton, a key component of the U.S. biowarfare defense system was transferred to private industry. Bioport people included Admiral William Crowe and a wealthy Saudi, al-Faud.

  Bioport couldn't run the facility without leaks, so through at least 2001 all their anthrax vaccine was prepared by their subcontractor, Battelle Memorial Institute.

  Now, enter Vaxgen and their recombinant vaccine - recombinant meaning that some of the anthrax cell surface proteins were expressed in some other critter, and that was the basis of the vaccine - except it turned out to be more toxic than the old stuff, and human trials were cancelled early on. All the anthrax work that Vaxgen did was subcontracted to Battelle in West Jefferson - Vaxgen (based in Calif.) was also trying to develop an AIDS vaccine (also a failure). Recently, Emergent Biosolutions (previously named Bioport).

  I suppose I shoud give some supporting references here:

  1) Vaxgen SEC filing 2002 www.secinfo.com/d13Wqv.31tp.d.htm

  As a major sub-contractor to VaxGen, Battelle of Columbus, Ohio, will have primary responsibility for initial manufacturing of the vaccine candidate as well as for conducting pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies in accordance with FDA guidelines. VaxGen has budgeted approximately $4.5 million for Battelle's contributions to this urgent initiative. Battelle has substantial experience in biologics research and development, specifically including anthrax vaccines.

  2) Bioport and Battelle:

  Battelle in anthrax vaccine lab hunt, Business First of Columbus, by Laura Newpoff, Friday, November 24, 2000

  Battelle Memorial Institute has surfaced as a potential contractor to run a $500 million anthrax vaccine lab proposed by the Pentagon.

  Battelle marked its foray into the anthrax arena this fall when it became a subcontractor to the only developer of the vaccine, Lansing, Mich.-based BioPort Corp.

  BioPort has been unable to get federal Food and Drug Administration approval for the vaccine, which is intended to be used to inoculate 2.4 million U.S. military personnel against anthrax, a deadly biological agent used as a weapon.

  That more or less brings us up to the present. Emergent Biosolution and their subcontractor Battelle Memorial are the sole anthrax people now, having bought out Vaxgen's IPRs. They are looking to score a huge anthrax vaccine contract in a few months from Health and Human Services - a billion dollars, or something like that:

  http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2008/07/28/daily75.html

  Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has submitted a proposal in response to a request issued by the Department of Health and Human Services for a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine the company recently bought.

  The Rockville-based biotech’s vaccine candidate is a reformulated and more stable form of the one originally developed at the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. The award could be granted as soon as the end of the year.

  In May, Emergent paid $2 million to VaxGen Inc. for an anthrax vaccine candidate that the California competitor had been developing under an $878 million Department of Health and Human Services contract. That contract was canceled in December 2006 when VaxGen missed a deadline to begin a clinical trial...The government wants to procure 25 million doses of a vaccine to replenish the country’s stockpile for natural disasters or terrorist attacks.

  This whole case leads right back to the U.S. biological warfare complex, the treaty violations, and the unaccountability of private corporations that contract with the federal government (let alone corruption and criminality within the FBI itself). That's why the powers that be are so desperate to squelch it.

  —CargoCult Read CargoCult's other letters
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