US Seeks 500 Million Doses of Smallpox Vaccine

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) Nov 28 - US health officials have sought a price quote from drugmakers for up to 500 million doses of smallpox vaccine, twice the number the United States was believed to be seeking, USA Today reported on Wednesday.

The US government was expected to announce a decision this week on which firm will win a contract for the vaccine against smallpox. Finalists to supply the vaccine are Merck and Co. Inc. of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey; London-based GlaxoSmithKline Plc; and a joint bid from British firm Acambis Plc and Baxter International Inc, based in Deerfield, Illinois.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson previously said the United States was seeking 250 million doses of smallpox vaccine, which when added to existing stocks and those on order would enable the government to vaccinate every US resident if needed.

Citing government documents, USA Today reported that the US government asked, in a lengthy request for proposals sent to drug companies, for price information on an additional 250 million doses in a clause labeled "options."

Thompson has asked Congress to appropriate $509 million for the smallpox vaccine, about $2 a dose for the 250 million doses he said he was seeking. The government had previously ordered 54 million doses and has another 15 million in storage.