The United States has moved to expand its stockpile of a critical smallpox treatment. Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced on March 25, 2026, that it has secured a contract award of approximately $54 million from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), an office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for additional doses of CNJ-016 — also known as Vaccinia Immune Globulin Intravenous, or VIGIV. The product is FDA-approved to treat complications arising from smallpox vaccination.
The contract was executed through an option exercise on an existing 10-year agreement (contract number 75A50119C00037) between Emergent and ASPR. VIGIV is not a vaccine but a treatment indicated for serious adverse events that can follow vaccinia vaccination, including eczema vaccinatum, progressive vaccinia, and severe generalized vaccinia. Separately, Emergent also announced $6.6 million in new incremental orders from an unidentified international government partner for ACAM2000, the company’s FDA-approved smallpox and mpox vaccine. The combined value of the two announcements exceeds $60 million.
The international orders represent a recurring customer relationship, according to the company, and are intended to support that partner’s smallpox biodefense strategy. This announcement follows a previously disclosed multi-year agreement with the Government of Canada, valued at up to $140 million CAD, to support biological threat preparedness — a deal under which more than $35 million CAD in orders are expected to be received in 2026.
The procurement activity carries direct implications for global health security. Smallpox was eradicated in 1980, but the vaccinia virus used in smallpox vaccines remains a live pathogen requiring careful medical management, and the potential for deliberate release of the variola virus continues to be treated as a credible bioterrorism scenario by governments worldwide. Maintaining stockpiles of both a working vaccine and a treatment for vaccination complications is considered a foundational element of preparedness infrastructure.
Emergent BioSolutions, headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has operated in the biodefense market for more than 25 years. Its portfolio addresses threats including smallpox, mpox, anthrax, botulism, and Ebola, among others.
Source: Emergent BioSolutions Inc.