Vaxgen

Emergent BioSolutions buys flu vaccine maker

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Emergent BioSolutions has inked a deal to acquire the Protein Sciences Corporation assets for up to $75 million. The move is part of Emergent's strategy to expand its product portfolio with a drug candidate focused on infectious disease. Currently, most of Emergent's business comes from government contracts for biodefense. Emergent will acquire PSC's ongoing operations, including FluBlok, a Phase III recombinant influenza vaccine candidate, and certain other assets. "The acquisition of FluBlok is consistent with Emergent's strategy of expanding its product portfolio with a vaccine candidate focused on a major infectious disease," said Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent's CEO. The company recently bought rival VaxGen's anthrax vaccine business.

- check out Emergent's release
- read the Washington Post article

Struggling VaxGen sells anthrax vaccine to rival

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

After spending $175 million in an unsuccessful effort to push a new anthrax vaccine into the clinic, VaxGen has sold the program to Emergent BioSolutions for $2 million. VaxGen also stands to earn $8 million in milestones and an unspecified portion of any sales. Emergent, once VaxGen's bitter rival, believes the problems with the vaccine candidate have been sorted out and is a prime contender for a new government contract. VaxGen's vaccine program is also further advanced than any of the experimental vaccine programs Emergent is advancing.

The Washington Post points out that Emergent's competitive position shifted significantly after PharmAthene bought the rights to a next-gen anthrax vaccine developed by Avecia, making it a contender for a government contract to supply 25 million doses.

The deal for just pennies on its research dollar marks another bitter turn for VaxGen, which is now being operated by a skeleton crew in the wake of a failed merger. Last month VaxGen axed 75 percent of its remaining 22 workers.

- here's VaxGen's release on the deal
- read the article in the Washington Post

Struggling VaxGen goes skeletal with cutbacks

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

With its planned merger involving Raven Biotechnologies on the rocks, a struggling VaxGen is cutting down to a skeletal staff, laying off 70 percent of its remaining 22 employees. Among the departing staffers is CFO Matthew Pfeffer. In a statement the developer said that its immediate future "is quite straightforward: reduce staffing and expenses to reflect the realities of not merging with Raven, continue our efforts to sell the Anthrax vaccine program and manufacturing facility and deal as best we can with our lease obligations, and importantly, reconfigure our board to deal with the future course of the company."

VaxGen has been grappling with the loss of a crucial $877 million contract to supply the U.S. government with an anthrax vaccine. The developer has been steadily paring back staff in the wake of that disaster.

- here's VaxGen's release
- read the story in the San Jose Business Journal

Related Articles:
Shareholders stymie VaxGen, Raven merger
VaxGen shutters program, axes staff in second retrenchment
VaxGen misses federal deadline on anthrax vaccine
US cancels VaxGen's $877M vaccine contract
VaxGen slashes staff--again

Shareholders stymie VaxGen, Raven merger

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:59:57 -0400

VaxGen and Raven Biotechnologies are backing out of their proposed merger after "stronger than anticipated opposition" from shareholders. The companies say that while they initially thought shareholders would go for the deal, it became apparent that they'd reject the plan. VaxGen develops drugs for the treatment and prevention of infectious disease, and Raven develops monoclonal antibody (MAb) therapeutics for cancer. Company officials hoped that the merger would put them at the forefront of the market for MAb cancer treatments.

"We are obviously very disappointed that the proposed merger with Raven was not approved by our stockholders," said James P. Panek, VaxGen President and CEO. "...[I]t has become quite clear that there is sufficient opposition, such that this merger will not be approved." The merger rejection is more bad news for VaxGen, which has been through three rounds of layoffs since the federal government canceled its $877 million anthrax vaccine contract.

- check out this release

Related Articles:
Momentum builds for VaxGen, Raven merger. Report
VaxGen slashes staff--again. Report

Is the fast track system a sham?

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:59 -0500

Is the FDA's fast-track designation nothing but a dead end lined with a few quick bucks for the CEOs and investors who like to game the system? A story this morning from the Cleveland Plain Dealer apparently spells out how the system has been worked. Originally, the FDA set up the fast track system to help speed needed drugs into the hands of patients. Instead, few of the fast-tracked therapies are helped at all.

The quick assumption here is that the drug developers are playing fast and loose, hoping to gin a fast spike in the stock value. But if you look at the first examples cited by the newspaper--Dendreon and VaxGen--you'll see two companies that tried hard to get approvals by the quickest approach possible only to be handed setbacks by an agency looking for better data. As they say, bad data happens. Some investors and patients, though, feel they were tricked into believing that the therapies were an odds-on favorite for approval.

On second glance, the story is less sinister than it first appears. There's a fundamental misunderstanding with the way drug development works in the U.S. You can't take something like fast-track designation--which isn't all that hard to get and doesn't mean that the regulators are giving the industry a nudge and a wink that all is clear sailing ahead. If the data isn't there, the FDA isn't going to back it. Period. Read the large print.

Marginal data? These days, that probably means the regulators are going to say 'try again.' That fast track designation? It's virtually meaningless, no matter how much companies tout it. Disappointed by a seemingly sudden switch at the FDA? Move to the back of the line.

Biotechnology is a notoriously difficult market to invest in. Really, you have to wonder why Las Vegas even exists when it's so much easier for small investors to lose money trading in biotech stocks. Some companies and their CEOs probably play this game. And certainly, as I know all too well, many, many biotechs tout every bit of positive news with all the enthusiasm of a marching band. But if some think a fast gambit and a loud noise will really pay off, they're fools. What goes up on inflated hopes today plunges on reality the next. And those CEOs are likely to disappear as fast as the equity value in their companies. - John Carroll

C&L: Bernard Poussot picked as Wyeth CEO

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:59:52 -0400

Wyeth has named Bernard Poussot its new CEO.

Simon Lowth, an outsider, has been picked as AstraZeneca's CFO.

Jack Anthony is resigning from VaxGen Board and accepting the CEO spot at Osprey Pharmaceutical Company.

Corey Goodman, Ph.D., will step down as President and CEO of Renovis to pursue another opportunity.

Francois-Xavier Frapaise, M.D., has joined Asphelia Pharmaceuticals as its President and CEO.

Moberg Derma has appointed Tommy Nilsson as the new CEO.

Anthony D. Squeglia has been named CFO of Pro-Pharmaceuticals, and Steven Schubert Vice President, Finance on a consulting basis.

Dr. Glenn E. Nedwin, President, Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Dyadic International, has resigned.

Synvista Therapeutics has appointed Carl M. Mendel, M.D. as Vice president, Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer.

Gregory L. Sheldon as been named CIO of Mylan Laboratories.

Ikaria has chosen Ralf Rosskamp, M.D., as Executive Vice President of R&D.

Anacor Pharmaceuticals has named Paul Cleveland to the company's Board of Directors.

Mitchell D. Kaye has been elected to Genaera's Corporation Board of Directors. The Board also elected Henry R. Wolfe, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, and Michael J. Gast, M.D., Ph.D., as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

Othera Pharmaceuticals has named Dr. Frederick R. Rickles Chief Scientific Officer.

Dr. M. Flint Beal has been appointed to Avicena Group's Board of Directors.

Sigma-Aldrich has named Patrick Sullivan as its new VP of R&D for Research Biotech.

Dr. Gary E. Costley has been elected to Covance's Board.

Wyeth has elected Robert M. Amen to the Board of Directors.

Steven Brugger has assumed the newly-created position of Chief Operating Officer at Momenta. Ganesh Venkataraman, Ph.D. has become the company's first Chief Scientific Officer.

Celsion Corporation has chosen Nicholas Borys, M.D. as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

Jeremy Levin has joined Bristol-Myers Squibb as Senior Vice President of External Science, Technology and Licensing.

Cougar Biotechnology has appointed Samuel Saks to its Board of Directors.

Adrian Haigh has been named Vice President Global Marketing at EUSA Pharma.

Idera Pharmaceuticals has appointed Hans Mueller, Ph.D. to its Board.

Pfizer has election Suzanne Nora Johnson and James M. Kilts to the company's Board of Directors.

VaxGen slashes staff--again

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Troubled VaxGen is at it again: the company said it will reduce its workforce from 61 to 27 employees in order to lower its monthly cash expenditures used in operating activities to $1.4 million. The layoff includes executive officer Lance Ignon, Vice President of Corporate Affairs. This is the company's third round of layoffs: shortly after VaxGen failed to meet a federal deadline to restart human trials of an anthrax vaccine, the government canceled its $877 million contract.

"Throughout this year we have retained only those resources that management felt could build value for our shareholders, either because they enhanced our ability to complete a strategic transaction or they were required to meet essential business objectives," said James P. Panek, VaxGen's President and CEO. "Based on our understanding of the nature and structure of such potential transactions, we are now able to take this further restructuring action. We remain optimistic about completing a strategic transaction and are in various stages of discussions with a variety of companies."

- check out the release from VaxGen

Related Articles:
VaxGen shutters program, axes staff in second retrenchment. Report
VaxGen misses federal deadline on anthrax vaccine. Report
US cancels VaxGen's $877M vaccine contract. Report

ALSO NOTED: Semaphore closes $9.5M round; VaxGen looks to refocus; BioCryst wins $102M contract; and much more...

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:01:30 -0500

> Indianapolis-based Semafore Pharmaceuticals has completed a $9.5 million second round of venture financing. Much of the money will be used to advance Semafore's clinical program for SF1126, its lead PI3 Kinase inhibitor for the treatment of cancer. "This is an exciting time for Semafore, as we prepare to initiate Phase l clinical trials of our lead PI3 Kinase inhibitor SF1126 and transition into a clinical stage company," said John Sima, interim CEO and COO of Semafore. Release

> Fresh from losing a big contract for an anthrax vaccine, speculation is heating up about how VaxGen will restructure. The company got a $51 million boost from the sale of its Celltrion stock. Report

> BioCryst has won a $102 million contract from the U.S. government to develop peramivir as a therapy against seasonal and avian flu. Report

> A new study has provided data that shows that Herceptin combined with chemotherapy after surgery for breast cancer improves the chance of surviving three years after treatment. Report

> Enzon Pharmaceuticals has submitted an INDA to the FDA for its HIF-1alpha (hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha) antagonist. Release

> Software-maker Accelrys is closing its R&D center in Bangalore, India and laying off 60 workers. Report

> MediciNova has established a subsidiary in Japan. Release

> Chutes & Ladders: Xytis Pharmaceuticals has named Vincent F. Simmon, Ph.D., president and CEO. Release

> Scientists at Taiwan University have developed a five-gene test that can help illuminate which lung cancer patients are likely to benefit from chemotherapy. Report

And Finally... Government plans to prevent the creation for animal-human embryos has attracted criticism from the country's scientific community. Article

U.S. cancels VaxGen's $877M vaccine contract

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 19:01:37 -0500

The other shoe has dropped on VaxGen's troubled effort to develop a new anthrax vaccine for the U.S. government. Shortly after the company failed to meet a federal deadline to restart human trials, which had been stopped by the FDA, the government canceled its $877 million contract. The soured deal has become emblematic of everything that was wrong with the government's $5.6 billion Project BioShield, which had hoped that the prospect of major contracts would drive the development of innovative new therapies to counter a bioterror attack. Instead of gaining the involvement of big pharma, little companies like VaxGen jumped in.

The government recently shifted its strategy, providing new funds to back research rather than expecting companies to develop therapies on their own in the hope of signing contracts. But analysts say that the future of VaxGen--which has never produced an approved therapy and had already experienced a major setback in an earlier attempt to deliver a new AIDS vaccine--has become uncertain. VaxGen officials say they're still confident in their vaccine approach, which they spent $175 million developing. VaxGen has a smallpox vaccine in development and enough funds to make it through 2007.

- see VaxGen's release on the terminated contract
- read the article on VaxGen's contract woes from The Washington Post

Related Article:
VaxGen to miss deadline for anthrax vaccine. Report
VaxGen's vaccine program in doubt. Report
FDA puts hold on Phase II anthrax vaccine trial. Report

VaxGen misses federal deadline on anthrax vaccine

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:01:37 -0500

VaxGen has missed a federal deadline to resume human testing on its controversial anthrax vaccine. The trial had been put on hold by the FDA due to concerns about the vaccine's stability. And VaxGen says it has no way to know when the trial hold will be lifted. Health and Human Services, which has been tracking the billion-dollar contract with VaxGen under Project BioShield, issued the deadline but did not say what would happen now that it had passed.

VaxGen's contract is the largest single program under Project BioShield, which was intended to produce new therapies to safeguard the country against a bioterror attack but has run into a host of problems. Congress recently authorized spending a billion dollars to encourage research in the field in the hope that the new funds would help accelerate progress.

- see VaxGen's release
- here's the report on VaxGen from the Washington Post

Related Article:
VaxGen to miss deadline for anthrax vaccine. Report
VaxGen's vaccine program in doubt. Report
FDA puts hold on Phase II anthrax vaccine trial. Report

More R&D funds allocated for Project BioShield

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 19:01:35 -0500

Congress has substantially revised the troubled Project BioShield, agreeing to funnel a billion dollars into the research arena as it finds new ways to fund biotech companies during the developmental phase. The action, which was passed by the House late last week and by the Senate four days earlier, is intended to rectify a problem in the program. When Congress passed the bill two years ago, it intended to pay for new therapies to counter a bioterror attack on delivery. But as big biopharmas took a pass (unimpressed by the potential profits to be had), a number of smaller biotechs were left struggling to push programs through to development. VaxGen has been handling the largest project to date, but it's billion-dollar effort to find a vaccine for anthrax was recently stalled when the FDA prevented human testing last month due to concerns about drug reliability. The government has extended its deadline to get human trials underway again to December 18.

- read the Washington Post article on the new funds

Related Article:
BioShield revamp adds $1B in research funds. Report
New bioterror bill could provide fresh funds. Report
Report: Project BioShield fails to deliver. Report
VaxGen to miss deadline for anthrax vaccine. Report

ALSO NOTED: VaxGen gains extension; Merck wins latest Vioxx suit;and much more...

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:01:30 -0500

> Officials at HHS have granted VaxGen a one-month extension of its deadline to resolve a clinical hold on its troubled development program for an anthrax vaccine. The agency has threatened to cancel its contract with VaxGen unless it resolves the hold. Report

> Biotech drugs take longer and cost more than the traditional medicines fielded by the FDA, according to a new survey from Tufts University's Center for the Study of Drug Development. On average, a complex biologic costs $1.2 billion to approval over a period of 97.7 months. Report

> A federal jury has cleared Merck of any wrongdoing in the latest federal trial over Vioxx. Report

> Daryl Faulkner has been named president and CEO of Digene. Faulkner recently retired from Invitrogen. Report

> CollaGenex has sold $45.5 million in stock. Report

> Migenix has raised $10 million through a bought-deal financing package. Release

> AtheroGenics CEO Russell Medford says the company is on track to deliver late-stage data on the heart drug AGI-1067 in March of next year. Report

> Scientists at the University of Zurich have used stem cells obtained from fetal fluid to grow new heart valves for repairing damaged hearts. Report

> A host of experimental stem cell therapies are poised to make the switch from animal studies to clinical development. But as human studies begin, experts have been quick to warn against giving into the hype that life-saving treatments are just around the corner. Report

And Finally... Researchers have found two genetic mutations in H5N1 necessary to trigger a human pandemic. Their work may help signal a coming outbreak. Article

BioShield revamp adds $1B in research funds

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:01:37 -0500

In an effort to salvage the deeply troubled $5.6 billion Project BioShield program, Congress is scrambling to pass new legislation that would inject a fresh $1 billion into the project while establishing a central authority inside HHS to oversee the development of new vaccines. BioShield's single largest venture is its billion-dollar effort to develop a new anthrax vaccine at VaxGen. That project has been repeatedly held up and is now stymied by the FDA's refusal to allow human trials to get underway. HHS has also threatened to terminate the contract. Other projects, meanwhile, have been held up as developers struggle to push through programs the government can't pay for until they near approval. The government had thought its commitment to stockpile vaccines against a bioterror attack would gain the interest of large companies with deep enough pockets to fund research. But that formula has been a bust, as the big developers steered away from what looked like long odds on gaining short profits. The new money lawmakers are considering for Project BioShield would fund research, essentially acting as a billion-dollar venture capital outfit.

- check out the article on BioShield from The Washington Post

Related Articles:
Project BioShield fails to deliver. Report
New bioterror bill could provide fresh funds. Report
VaxGen's vaccine program in doubt. Report

FDA puts hold on Phase II anthrax vaccine trial

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 19:01:35 -0500

The FDA has put a clinical hold on VaxGen's next Phase II trial for its troubled anthrax vaccine, "because data submitted to date by the company are insufficient to determine that the product is stable enough to resume clinical testing." In the notification, VaxGen added, the agency expressed concerns that the vaccine's potency could decline during the immunization phase of the trial, potentially resulting in an uninterpretable outcome.

VaxGen has run into repeated trouble with the FDA over its anthrax vaccine. The agency has accused VaxGen of making exaggerated claims about the vaccine and threatened court action this year in an effort to make the company shape up. And the Washington Post reported last spring that trouble in developing the vaccine was delaying delivery past an agreed November deadline.

- here's the release on VaxGen

Related Article:
VaxGen's vaccine program in doubt. Report

Avecia anthrax vaccine shows promise

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:01:35 -0400

A Phase I trial of Avecia's anthrax vaccine produced data that demonstrates its safety and delivers early signs of efficacy. The U.S. government sees Avecia's development program as a key back-up to the $877 million contract that was signed with VaxGen. VaxGen's program, though, has been afflicted by a series of setbacks that has become the chief example of problems with the country's biodefense program. The UK-based Avecia is working with a $71 million contract. Their new data suggests that the vaccine is generating an immune response but the response is not as strong as the one delivered by the current vaccine.

- here's the AP report on the vaccine data

Report: Project BioShield fails to deliver

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 20:01:35 -0400

The New York Times concludes that the country's $5.6 billion Project BioShield is largely a bust so far. Big pharma never did like the low upside or liability risks associated with developing new therapies for anthrax and other potential bioterror weapons. But perhaps the government's biggest problem was being forced to deal with small biotech companies that made large promises they couldn't keep. VaxGen comes in for star treatment, of course, with its troubled $900 million effort to develop a new vaccine for anthrax. And with the program mired in controversy over hardball lobbying efforts, other drug developers say they're even less likely to jump in now.

- read the article on Project BioShield from The New York Times

C&L: Dr. David Kaslow exits Vical

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 20:01:32 -0400

David Kaslow, M.D. has announced plans to leave his job as chief scientific officer at Vical. He is returning to Merck & Co. Vical says it does not plan to replace Dr. Kaslow.

Neurologix has named John Mordock to the post of chief executive officer. Mordock, a partner of Red Bird Capital, is replacing Michael Sorell.

MonoSolRx announced the hiring of Keith J. Kendall as its new senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Ray "Rui" Zhong has joined China Biopharmaceuticals as senior vice president, finance and business development.

VaxGen announced that Kathrin U. Jansen, Ph.D., the company's senior vice president, research and development and chief scientific officer, has accepted the position of senior vice president of vaccine research at Wyeth, and has resigned from VaxGen.

Antigenics announced that Shalini Sharp, currently senior director of strategic planning and corporate development, will be appointed as the company's chief financial officer and vice president as of September 30. Peter Thornton plans to return to Ireland with his family.

Immtech Pharmaceuticals has named Carol Ann Olson, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president of pharmaceutical development and chief medical officer.

Poniard Pharmaceuticals has appointed Alan B. Glassberg, M.D., as chief medical officer.

Exagen Diagnostics has named Luc Van Hove, M.D., PhD, CSSBB, as vice president, quality, regulatory, medical affairs and chief medical officer.

Halozyme Therapeutics has named Robert Little vice president and chief commercial officer.

Novo Nordisk, has appointed Howard Levy, M.D., Ph.D., executive director of clinical research-hemostasis in the company's clinical development, medical, and regulatory affairs department. The company also named Henry Cortina associate vice president of information technology in the United States.

EntreMed has named the following people to its new scientific advisory board: Tak W. Mak, S. Gail Eckhardt, M.D., Michael E. Weinblatt, M.D., Hans Wigzell, M.D., Ph.D.

Phytopharm plc has appointed Peter Robin Blower, M.D., former director of new neuroscience products at SmithKline Beecham, as a non-executive board director of Phytopharm.

Portola Pharmaceuticals has appointed Peggy V. Phillips, former chief operating officer at Immunex, to the company's board of directors.

Jerome Groopman, M.D., has submitted his resignation from Genta's board of directors due to personal health reasons.

Magellan Biosciences has named Michael E. Woehler, Ph.D., to the company's board of directors.

Clarient has named Dennis Morgan Smith Jr., M.D., as member of the board and James A. Datin to chairman of the board of directors.

Zelos Therapeutics has added Colin Goddard, Ph.D., to its board of directors.

Argolyn Bioscience announced that James R. McNab, Jr. has been appointed to the position of executive chairman of the board of directors.

MGI PHARMA has named James O. Armitage, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.R.C.P., to its board.

ALSO NOTED: Auxilium enrolling patients; Wyeth wins conditional approval; and much more...

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 20:00:50 -0400

> Auxilium Pharmaceuticals of Malvern, PA has begun enrolling patients for a Phase III trial of AA2600, an experimental therapy for hypogodanism, testosterone deficiency. "Delivering testosterone replacement therapy through an oral transmucosal film may provide men efficacy results equivalent to approved transdermal treatments but with quicker release of testosterone and lower dosing," said Dr. Jyrki Mattila, Auxilium's EVP for R&D. Report

> Wyeth has won conditional FDA approval for its low-dose contraceptive Lybrel, but says it is confident that it can satisfy the agency's requests for more data and analyses. Report

> Keryx Biopharmaceuticals says a mid-stage trial of its experimental Zerenex delivered positive results for end stage renal disease. Release

> Cipher Pharmaceuticals has submitted an NDA for once-daily Tramadol. Report

> VaxGen has raised $79 million through the sale of its interest in an overseas facility. Release

> Johnson & Johnson has licensed the U.S. rights to Sinclair Pharma's gum disease rinse Decapinol. Report

> Pharmos has begun dosing in a Phase IIa of Cannabinor for pain. Report

And Finally... Top European pharma executives harshly criticized a new set of European price controls, saying that they are stifling the continent's drug industry. Article

ALSO NOTED: Intercell buoyed by trial data; Covance acquires Signet Lab assets; and much more...

Wed, 31 May 2006 20:00:50 -0400

> Shares of Australia's Intercell were buoyed by the news that it gathered positive data on its Phase III trial of an experimental Japanese encephalitis drug. An application to the FDA is planned soon. Report

> Covance has acquired most of the assets of Signet Laboratories for $8.95 million. Report

> Andrew von Eschenbach is resigning as director of the National Cancer Institute and devoting himself to his role as acting FDA chief. Article

> GlaxoSmithKline expects that collaborations will account for half of all new drug programs by 2010. Report

> Point Therapeutics has received fast track status for Talabostat for non-small cell lung cancer. Report

> The FDA has granted orphan drug status to Isis Pharmaceuticals' ISIS 301012 for a rare genetic disorder. Report

> CombinatoRx and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics will collaborate to find new drug combination therapies for cystic fibrosis. Release

> Life Science Pharmaceuticals has acquired three monoclonal antibody programs from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Release

> VaxGen is ending its collaboration with EndoBiologics International on a meningitis vaccine. Release

> Chutes & Ladders: Sweden's Affibody has appointed Dr. Ulf Boberg as its new CEO. Release

> India's Wockhardt says it has received FDA approval to market the antibiotic Clarithromycin. Report

> Therion Biolgics has concluded a Phase III trial of PANVAC-VF, a cancer vaccine. Release

> Italy's Gentium has raised $22.1 million through a private placement of shares. Report

And Finally… Canadians are generally much healthier than Americans, according to Harvard Medical School. One factoid: Americans are 42 percent more likely to have diabetes. Article

WP: VaxGen's vaccine program in doubt

Tue, 09 May 2006 20:01:38 -0400

The Washington Post has a follow-up to the ongoing travails of VaxGen's anthrax program. The report cites sources who say that the relationship between government officials and the company has becomes so contentious that the program's future is in doubt. Under its original contract, VaxGen was to start delivering anthrax vaccine by the end of this year. New revisions has pushed that back to 2008. The Bush Administration gave VaxGen the billion-dollar program to protect 25 million people from a potential bioterror attack.

- here's The Washington Post report for more