The Department of Defense signed a $20 million deal with a Maryland-based pharmaceutical company to develop a domestic production line for critical ingredients used to treat COVID-19 patients that have long been sourced from overseas, Pentagon officials announced Monday.
The contract will allow On Demand Pharmaceuticals to continue developing its production technology for at least three critical active pharmaceutical ingredients that ultimately form the building blocks for final formulated medicines that may play a crucial role in helping critically ill Coronavirus patients, officials said.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) provided initial funding for the project and will oversee work created through the latest award.
The contract is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Department of Defense and Health and Human Services to apply funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to technology development projects to support the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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