Acambis ruled out of US govt vaccine order, worth up to $1B

UK vaccine maker Acambis saw its shares slump 38% to 94.75 pence, a six-year low, after it revealed that it had been ruled out of a potentially lucrative smallpox vaccine contract from the US government. The firm said it had received notification that the Department of Health and Human Services "has re-evaluated Acambis' technical proposal and found it no longer in the competitive range for award." As such, Acambis is no longer eligible to receive the contract, that could have been worth as much as $1.0 billion, for which it has been competing with Danish firm Bavarian Nordic, which is now expected to get the order. The company noted that the US National Institutes of Health has indicated that it intends to continue Acambis' existing Modified Vaccinia Ankara contracts at current prices and scope.