In order to better protect the American people, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) will add two types of anthrax antitoxin drugs for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) as options to treat inhalational anthrax. The Secretary of Homeland Security determined anthrax to be a material threat to nation security in 2004.
ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will fund these purchases under Project BioShield, tthrough which the federal government supports the development and obtainment of new medical countermeasures. To learn more about learn more about medical countermeasures and the SNS, visit the CDC’s and ASPR’s websites.