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“$2,000,000 to PharmAthene for Anthrax Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutic and Prophylaxis Program”

Sponsors: Rep. Holt (D-NJ) Rep. Latham (R-IA)  

(4 Comments)

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mikett wrote:

There was an interesting article on this earmark in Congressional Quarterly on Aug 22, 2007 by Jonathan Allen. You can find the article at http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002574023.html . I excerpt part of it below:

"Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, in a March 15 letter requested what became a $2 million earmark in the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill (HR 3222) for the development of a monoclonal anthrax antibody. His request to the committee mistakenly named Ervin Technical Associates, a boutique lobbying firm located on Capitol Hill, as the intended recipient of the earmark. But it is PharmAthene, an ETA client that pays the firm $200,000 a year, that wants the money to develop an anthrax antibody.

"Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., also sought the earmark for development of an antibody, but he named PharmAthene as the recipient in his request letter to the Appropriations panel.

"Latham’s office realized the error — and sent a corrected letter — after Congressional Quarterly reported Aug. 6 on a $3.5 million defense spending bill earmark that Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., requested in a letter to the committee naming the lobbying shop Cassidy & Associates as the recipient. The firm is known for its ability to win earmarks in appropriations bills."

posted September 30, 2007 at 5:42 p.m.

mikett wrote:

Information on this product can be found at http://www.pharmathene.com/valortim.html .

Exceperting part of the article on this great-sounding antibody is below:

Anthrax Monoclonal Antibody: Valortimâ„¢
Valortimâ„¢ is a fully human antibody designed to protect against inhalation anthrax, the most lethal form of illness in humans caused by the Bacillus anthracis bacterium. The investigational antibody targets a protein component of lethal toxins produced by the bacterium known as the anthrax protective antigen. The anthrax protective antigen initiates the onset of the illness by attaching to cells in the infected person, and then facilitates the entry of additional destructive toxins into the cells. Valortimâ„¢ is designed to target anthrax protective antigen and protect the cells from damage by the anthrax toxins. In preclinical studies, Valortimâ„¢ both protected against infection, and when administered some time after exposure, it induced recovery and survival in animals exposed to lethal doses of inhalation anthrax spores.

posted September 30, 2007 at 5:43 p.m.

kerry wrote:

I saw a presentation by these folks a few years back. If I recall correctly they were using goats (sheep?) to create the anthrax antibodies. In Canada, no less.

They are one of the successful firms to "graduate" from the Chesapeake Innovation Center, which is an incubator for government projects. They are VERY well connected. http://www.cic-tech.org/

They closed a $50 million dollar Series B according to this old press release.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-12-2004/0002273123&EDATE=

posted September 30, 2007 at 11:18 p.m.

kerry wrote:

interesting anthrax related article in LA Times.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-anthrax2dec02,1,7041424.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true

posted December 2, 2007 at 11:49 p.m.