The U.S. Department of Defense has recently awarded a notable contract for medical countermeasures for military and contractor personnel and their family members.
Intercell USA Inc. of Gaithersburg, Maryland, a subsidiary of Valneva SE, has been awarded a maximum $32,488,750 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for a supply of the Japanese encephalitis vaccine.
Under the terms of the agreement, Valneva will supply IXIARO, the only Japanese encephalitis vaccine approved in the U.S., to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Supply Center of the US Department of Defense. First deliveries are expected to commence in the coming weeks.
This is a one-year base contract with a one-year option period, worth up to a total of $42 million.
“With a mortality rate that can reach 30% and neurological sequelae for half of the survivors, Japanese encephalitis is a clear danger to the thousands of military personnel – and their families – that are stationed in areas where the disease is endemic,” commented Thomas Lingelbach, President and CEO, and Franck Grimaud, Deputy CEO of Valneva. “We feel honored that the US Department of Defence continues to acknowledge our vaccine as the best protection against the disease”.
Japanese encephalitis is a very serious and growing public health threat in Asia. The US Department of Defense has been using IXIARO to protect the near 360,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel, and their families, working and living in endemic countries since 2010.
