Anthrax vaccine sold to Taiwan

Lansing's BioPort makes 1st private sale outside U.S.

Lansing - BioPort Corp., the nation's sole source for the anthrax vaccine, has executed the first private sale of its controversial product.

The Lansing-based biomedical lab will supply the vaccine to the Taiwanese government to immunize its troops, said Kim Brennen Root, a spokeswoman for the 5-year-old company.

Before the sale, which was finalized in December, BioPort's lone customer was the Department of Defense, which has used the anthrax vaccine to immunize more than 1 million troops.

"Anthrax is a weapon of mass destruction that could be used by terrorists, and that is a concern all over the world," Root said. "Based on that, we have interest expressed by several friendly foreign nations for the anthrax vaccine - primarily for their militaries."

Root said BioPort executives are "working aggressively on leads with five other countries." She declined to specify which nations have expressed interest because negotiations are ongoing.

Jack Kuei, a spokesman for Taiwan's Embassy in Washington, said Sunday it would take up to two days for officials in Taipei to confirm the sale.

BioPort would not release the cost of the sale to the Taiwanese government. In January, BioPort was awarded a $245 million contract to continue supplying the vaccine for the Department of Defense.

BioPort's approval from the Food and Drug Administration permits the company to distribute the vaccine to clients other than the U.S. government. The company is required to notify the FDA of any sales.

"We have a priority in terms of supplying the vaccine for protection of the U.S. military," Root said. "At the same time, we believe there is a global market for this vaccine."

Michael Rip, an assistant professor in James Madison College and the Department of Epidemiology with a focus on national security, said it is logical that foreign governments are interested in purchasing BioPort's vaccine because it is FDA- approved.

Rip said the federal approval means there are high levels of quality controls on the product's manufacturing.

"If the U.S. government is buying from BioPort, then there is a level of comfort," he said.

The fact that a foreign government would find a need for the anthrax vaccine indicates "symptoms of a much larger issue," Rip said.

"Where do they feel the threat is coming from? They are obviously going to spend a significant chunk of money to do this," he said. "Something poses a significant threat to their security."

The sale to the Taiwanese government comes amidst controversy for BioPort, which gained FDA approval for its laboratories about two years ago.

In December, a U.S. District Court judge suspended the Department of Defense's immunization program after six people filed suit, claiming the vaccine was unsafe.

By early January, the suspension was lifted and the vaccination program was reinstated, despite ongoing litigation.