GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced that Emergard™, the company’s ruggedized, military-grade auto-injector platform, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Battelle to be tested against and developed to U.S. military specifications as a platform for nerve agent antidote delivery. Emergard, which was selected from among several commercially available auto-injector devices, is designed to be transported, stored, and operated in a military environment and to ensure needle penetration and successful injection through chemical protective gear. Development and testing of Emergard is expected to be completed in 2016 and, if successful, could lead to Emergard’s future procurement for U.S. military and emergency responder use.
“We are pleased that our Emergard platform has been selected by DoD and Battelle for testing and development to address U.S. military auto-injector needs,” said Adam Havey, executive vice president and president, biodefense division of Emergent BioSolutions. “The Emergard platform, which is designed for intramuscular self-injection of antidotes and other emergency response medical treatments for nerve agents and other chemical threats, is another example of Emergent’s commitment to protecting lives and being a global leader in the development and manufacture of medical countermeasures that address biological and chemical threats as well as emerging infectious diseases.”
The testing and development of Emergard will be performed under a subcontract with Battelle, which in turn has a prime contract with DoD. This contract is supported by the Defense Technical Information Center, which serves the DoD community as the largest central resource for DoD and government-funded research, development, technical, and engineering information. Emergard is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
About Emergent BioSolutions
Emergent BioSolutions is a global specialty biopharmaceutical company dedicated to one simple mission—to protect and enhance life. We develop, manufacture, and deliver a portfolio of medical countermeasures for biological and chemical threats as well as emerging infectious diseases. We also develop and commercialize therapeutics and other specialty products for hospitals and clinics in the areas of hematology/oncology, transplantation, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. Through our work, we envision protecting and enhancing 50 million lives with our products by 2025. Additional information about the company may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com. Follow us @emergentbiosolu.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding the potential uses, market opportunities and intention to seek FDA approval for the auto-injector and any other statements containing the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current intentions, beliefs and expectations regarding future events. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will be accurate. Investors should realize that if underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could differ materially from our expectations. Investors are, therefore, cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, and, except as required by law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement to reflect new information, events or circumstances.
There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including our ability to successfully integrate the business and realize the benefits of the transaction; our ability to obtain sales contracts for the device and to perform under such contracts; the availability of funding for any contracts; the rate and degree of market acceptance of the device; our reliance on a third party to manufacture and supply the device to meet demand under our contracts; the ability of our third party supplier to maintain compliance with cGMP and other regulatory obligations; the success of our efforts to pursue FDA approval of the device; and the success of our commercialization and marketing capabilities and strategy. The foregoing sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations in any forward-looking statement. Investors should consider this cautionary statement, as well as the risk factors identified in our periodic reports filed with the SEC, when evaluating our forward-looking statements.