VaxGen

VaxGen Inc., founded in 1995, is a "biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of biologic products for the prevention and treatment of human infectious disease. Based in the San Francisco Bay area, VaxGen is currently developing next-generation vaccines against anthrax and smallpox and a vaccine against Meningitis B. The company was selected by the U.S. government to provide 75 million doses of a recombinant anthrax vaccine for civilian biodefense." [1][2]

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Profiles

"VaxGen is determined to save the world from a killer. After its HIV preventative vaccine AIDSVAX failed to meet expectations in late-stage clinical trials, the company shifted its focus to developing vaccines for bioterrorism threats. The company is the first big winner of the Project BioShield Act of 2004: It won a contract worth nearly $880 million to produce 75 million doses of anthrax vaccine for the US government's civilian vaccine stockpile. VaxGen and Japan's Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute (Kaketsuken) are developing a safer smallpox vaccine. The candidate uses an attenuated live smallpox virus to provoke the body's immune response and has already been administered on a limited basis in Japan." --Fact Sheet, Hoover's.

Board of Directors

• Lance K. Gordon, Ph.D., Inside Director, Chief Executive Officer
• Randall L-W. Caudill, D. Phil., Director, Chairman of the Board
• Franklin M. Berger, CFA, Director
• Michel Gréco, Director
• Myron M. Levine, M.D., Director
• Kevin Reilly, Director
• Eve Slater, M.D., F.A.C.C., Director

Connectedness

In June 2005, "Forbes "exposed the ties between" Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) advisor, Phillip Russell, "the former chief of Army medical research. Russell sits on the board of the Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute with VaxGen CEO, Lance Gordon. Both Gordon and Russell denied that their relationship had any impact on the award of the contract." --Transparent Grid, October 14, 2005.

In July 2005, "VaxGen named Dr. Eve Slater to its board of directors. Dr. Slater was apponted by President Bush as an Assistant Secretary at HHS and Tommy Thompsonâ??s chief health policy advisor. Before joining HHS, Slater was a senior vice president at Merck and Bush had considered naming her as FDA Commissioner before he named her to the HHS. She resigned in 2003." --Transparent Grid, October 14, 2005.

Contact details

349 Oyster Point Boulevard
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Phone: (650) 624-2400
Fax: 650-624-1001
Web: http://www.vaxgen.com

SourceWatch resources

• pharmaceutical industry
• Project BioShield

External links

• Bernadette Tansey, "VaxGen can't add to vaccine proof," SF Gate, April 1, 2003.
• "AIDS vaccine trial fails," Associated Press (CNN), November 12, 2003.
• "Three Top VaxGen Officials Leaving Company to Start Not-for-Profit AIDS Vaccine Foundation," The Body, January 21, 2004.
• "VaxGen Receives Notice From Nasdaq Regarding Failure to File Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q," PR Newswire (Globe Investor), May 20, 2004.
• Robert Steyer, "VaxGen Suffers Delisting," The Street, August 9, 2004.
• Adam Feuerstein, "VaxGen Hits Anthrax Jackpot," The Street, November 5, 2004.
• "VaxGen Awarded Anthrax Vaccine Contract Worth $877.5 million," Medical News Today, November 7, 2004.
• Diedtra Henderson, "VaxGen receives first BioShield contract for anthrax vaccine," Associated Press (Detroit Business News), November 6, 2004.
• "IT&E International Announces Expansion of Exclusive, Long-term Agreement to Support VaxGen's Participation in BioShield Project," PRIMEZONE (Yahoo! Fiancial News), March 10, 2005.
• "Grassley questions HHS Secretary about short supply of anthrax vaccine," US. News & World Report, April 5, 2005.
• David Francis, "DHHS Retracts Statement About New Anthrax Vaccine," Global Security Newswire, June 17, 2005: "Simonson admitted in the May 4 letter to [Senator Charles] Grassley that the press release touting VaxGen's vaccine as more effective than the licensed vaccine was unsupported by current science."
• "VaxGen Phase I/II Study of Attenuated Smallpox Vaccine Candidate Completes Enrollment," PR Newswire (Red Nova), July 11, 2005.
• "Published Study Demonstrates Single Dose of VaxGen's Smallpox Vaccine Candidate Provides Complete Protection in Mice," Bio.com, September 2, 2005.
• "VaxGen to Raise $15 Million Through the Sale of a Portion of its Interest in Celltrion," PR Newswire (CNN Finance), September 21, 2005.