A Meager Yield From BioShield
A federal effort to protect the public from bioterrorism isn't off to a strong start
This past December, Congress aimed to fix some of BioShield's problems-low participation in the program and meager results-by revamping it. Under the new law, instead of being paid only when a product is fully delivered, drug firms will receive funds when they meet major milestones, which makes BioShield less risky for them. HHS also gets access to real-time test data and for the first time can contract directly with universities that have promising products. "Every research bench in the country," says Sen. Richard Burr, the bill's author, "is now open to us."
But Richard Hollis says there's still plenty about BioShield that may scare companies off. HHS dropped that VaxGen contract the day the new bill was signed because of a missed deadline. The House and Senate, meanwhile, are planning a series of hearings this spring. Even so, Carol Linden of HHS insists 2007 will be a "big year" for BioShield: Her agency has almost finished a road map for how to deal with 15 WMD threats and will soon release a new anthrax strategy and a new request for acute radiation drugs. "We are nowhere near where we should be," she says, "but it's the nature of the business that developing [drugs and vaccines] ... takes years and some failures." One hopes America has the time to wait.
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