The results of two animal studies show that the drug ABthrax improves survival rates in by up to 64 percent when administered after animals were symptomatic for anthrax disease as a result of inhalation exposure to massively lethal doses of anthrax spores, according to Human Genome Sciences, Inc. [HGSI], the developer of ABthrax. HGS says the results demonstrated a survival benefit in two animal species, which meets the requirement for establishing efficacy of new drugs used to counter bio-terrorism. “These results show that ABthrax was highly effective as a treatment for anthrax in both rabbits and monkeys, and acted quickly to provide a significant survival benefit to animals showing clinical symptoms caused by exposure to massively lethal aerosolized doses of anthrax spores,” says David Stump, executive vice president for research and development at HGS. HGS won a potential $165 million contract from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in June 2006 under Project BioShield to complete additional laboratory and clinical testing and deliver 20,000 treatment courses of ABthrax beginning this year for the Strategic National Stockpile. HGS says it is on track to begin deliveries this year. Currently the HHS has two options stockpiled to counter anthrax: a vaccine and antibiotics. The vaccine, produced by Emergent BioSolutions [EBS], takes several weeks to begin establishing immunity and requires multiple injections over 18 months. An antibiotic, Ciprofloxacin, which is made by Bayer AG, kills the anthrax bacteria but isn’t effective against the toxins once they’ve been released into the blood. ABthrax offers protection after one dose and can act against the toxins.