Acambis plus Baxter to make more smallpox vaccine for U.S.

Byline: Linda Loyd

The government awarded a contract Wednesday to buy 155 million doses of smallpox vaccine to a British/U.S. pharmaceutical venture because its bid came in lowest and it could deliver the vaccine within 12 months.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson announced that Acambis Inc., teaming with Baxter International Inc., had signed a $428 million contract to bring the nation's stockpile of vaccine to 286 million doses, enough to inoculate every American, by the end of next year.

The cost per dose of vaccine will be $2.76, in line with what the Bush administration proposed to spend.

Health officials said Wednesday they have no plans to resume routine vaccinations that ceased in 1972 when smallpox was considered …