![]() And Emergent was required under the Defense Production Act to put vaccine work first, just like some of its own suppliers.Īll told, the Trump administration used the Defense Production Act 18 times to aid vaccine development. In June 2020, the federal government added a $628 million modification to an existing contract with Emergent. "And the fact of the matter is, it's just not that simple."Įmergent BioSolutions is a contract manufacturing company based in Maryland that is currently making active pharmaceutical ingredients for the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. "There seems to be a belief in society that the leveraging of rated orders is going to, you know, overnight increase significantly the amount of capacity to produce vaccines in the industry," says Sean Kirk, Emergent BioSolutions's executive vice president of manufacturing and technical operations. The power of the law rests in its ability to move the needs of vaccine makers to the front of the supply line by designating their contracts as what are called rated orders. While the law may seem like a magic wand to help jump-start vaccine production, there are limitations to the act's power and difficulties in tracking how well it actually works. Since the start of the pandemic, the federal government has used the law frequently in the crash program to develop COVID-19 vaccines. In extreme situations, the law can also be used to prevent companies from exporting certain goods to keep them within the United States. The law was enacted in 1950 law and it gives the president powers to allocate "materials, services, and facilities" and award contracts that take priority over any other contract to "promote the national defense." In this case, the law is being used to defend the country against the virus. So what is the Defense Production Act and why is it being name-checked so often? "In addition, we'll continue to use the Defense Production Act to expedite critical materials in vaccine production, such as equipment, machinery, and supplies." ![]() ![]() "We also invoked the Defense Production Act to equip two Merck facilities to the standards necessary to safely manufacture the J&J vaccine," he said, adding that Johnson & Johnson was getting other government help as well. ![]() So perhaps it was no surprise Biden brought up the Defense Production Act yet again in his announcement this month that his administration brokered a deal between two pharmaceutical rivals - Merck and Johnson & Johnson - to increase the vaccine supply and help deliver doses earlier than expected. Less than two hours later, he talked about the law in the National Governors Association's winter meeting. 25 after watching a Washington, D.C., resident get vaccinated in front of cameras at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for an event to celebrate the 50-millionth shot. ![]() 19 trip to a Pfizer vaccine factory in Kalamazoo, Mich., while he stood in front of gleaming stainless steel production equipment. In the run-up to President Biden's promise on March 2 that there would be enough COVID-19 vaccines for every adult in the United States by the end of May, he talked up a Korean War era law called the Defense Production Act.īiden mentioned it in his first presidential remarks about the pandemic fight from the White House State Dining Room on Jan. key equipment, like fill pumps and filters, which has already helped increase vaccine production." In a February visit to Pfizer's Kalamazoo, Mich., manufacturing complex, President Biden said the administration had "used the Defense Production Act to speed up the supply chain for. ![]()
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