Emergent BioSolutions

Emergent BioSolutions is a Maryland-based biotechnology company that develops and manufactures healthcare solutions. It manufactures products, platforms, and other technologies to address public health threats. Its therapies have been used in the past for illnesses such as anthrax and botulism.

In 2020, Emergent BioSolutions partnered with Vaxart, a biotechnology company, to aid with developing and manufacturing Vaxart’s experimental oral vaccine candidate for COVID-19. The company is expected to produce a bulk quantity of the vaccine so that Vaxart can initiate its pre-clinical studies.

Emergent BioSolutions also partnered with Novavax, Inc. to develop and manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. According to the press release announcing the collaboration, announced in mid-March 2020, "Emergent will produce the COVID-19 experimental vaccine candidate, which is based on the proprietary recombinant protein nanoparticle technology platform of Novavax and utilizing their proprietary Matrix-M™ adjuvant to enhance immune responses. Emergent has initiated work for this program anticipating that the COVID-19 experimental vaccine candidate will be used in a Phase 1 clinical study within the next four months."

Emergent BioSolutions has partnered with the US government to expedite the development of a plasma-derived therapy, COVID-Human Immune Globulin (COVID-HIG) for severe hospitalized and high-risk patients to prevent progression to severe symptoms. The company received $14.5 million from BARDA in support of the program. COVID-HIG is a candidate human hyperimmune product, polyclonal antibody therapeutics, that will be manufactured using plasma donated from people who recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.