Bavarian Nordic delivered the first 1 million doses of the first smallpox vaccine for certain immune-compromised populations to the Strategic National Stockpile as part of a Project BioShield contract. The Danish company is manufacturing and delivering 20 million doses of its next generation smallpox vaccine known as modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) or Imvamune. The contract is administered by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, BARDA, a part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS said that “in an emergency, such as the virus being obtained from a secure lab and used in an act of terrorism, the vaccine may be authorized for use to protect people who have weakened immune systems, specifically HIV persons who have not progressed to AIDS. Addressing the needs of such special populations is mandated under the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA).” HHS noted that Project BioShield gives BARDA the contracting authority to develop and procure medical countermeasures against chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological threat agents. In 2007, Bavarian Nordic was awarded a $505 million contract to develop and deliver the MVA smallpox vaccine to the SNS. http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100714006801&newsLang=en