Emergent BioSolutions Acquires Rights to Lymphoma Vaccine

Emergent BioSolutions Inc., a Rockville-based company who has recently experienced a sales boost thanks to government purchases of anthrax vaccines, has acquired the rights to a therapy targeting T-cell lymphomas.

Emergent reportedly shelled out $2.5 million up front -- in cash, of course -- to TenX BioPharma Inc. for Zanolimumab, which has already been utilized in the cases of 130 T-cell lymphoma patients. The same deal is set to pay TenX up to $5.5 million more if certain, specified milestone points are achieved. On top of that, obviously, a certain amount of payments as a result of royalties will also be dished out.

Based on the discussed deal, Emergent will additionally assume the rights to all future development, manufacturing and commercialization costs that will relate to this therapy.

Reports indicate that the Centers for Disease Control have already placed an order for 18 million doses of the BioThrax vaccine. Emergent has also indicated that they are in talks to provide the government with approximately 45 million more doses of said vaccine.

While all this is going on the business end, Emergent is working on a superior form of their anthrax vaccine that should, theoretically, have a longer shelf life than its predecessors.