Project BioShield, BARDA and the Medical Countermeasure Enterprise
Date: 28 November 2007 - 28 November 2007
Location:
2168 Rayburn House Office Building
Sponsored by:
Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy at AAAS
Date: November 28 2007
Time: 10:00-11:00am
Location: 2168 Rayburn House Office Building
Since the September 11th 2001 attack, October 2001 anthrax letters and the emerging threat of an influenza pandemic, the U.S. government has created new programs and increased funding for medical countermeasure research, development and procurement.
The Congress has taken a number of important steps to enable medical countermeasure development. The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) biodefense research budget went from $53 million in 2001 to $1.6 billion in 2007. Project BioShield (PL 108-276) seeks to procure medical interventions against CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) threats. The BioShield Special Reserve Fund received $5.6 billion in appropriations (from 2004-2013) to support medical countermeasure procurement, and to date, $1.5 billion has been spent or committed. The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PL 109-417) created the Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA) within the Department of Health and Human Services. BARDA gives HHS important, new authorities to facilitate CBRN countermeasure research, development, and procurement. On July 5, 2007, the BARDA office delivered to Congress a draft BARDA strategic plan, which can be viewed at http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/barda/documents/draftbardaplan.pdf.
The Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy at the American Association for the Advancement of Science has invited Brad Smith, PhD, a Senior Associate at the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) to discuss the status of the civilian medical countermeasure enterprise and how to strengthen the enterprise's essential public-private partnerships.
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