HHS established BARDA https://aspr.hhs.gov to catalyze innovation in advanced research and development, manufacturing, and to procure Medical Countermeasures (MCM).
MCMs are needed to protect people during public health emergencies from threats such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents especially during pandemics such as COVID-19.
MCMs include both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions that are used to prevent, mitigate, or treat the adverse health effects of a deliberate, unintentional, or naturally occurring public health emergency.
In May 2022, BARDA released their Strategic Plan for 2022-2026. Goal 3 in the plan discusses partnerships that are needed not only today but even more so in the future. To establish each partnership, BARDA identifies the best potential business models, domestic and global partners, and the most advanced technologies to successfully deliver lifesaving MCMs in the event of a public health emergency.
BARDA’s vision is to grow and leverage partnerships that will promote adaptable partnership models, sustain current and establish new partnerships, identify ways to promote long-term sustainability for supported products, and expand partnerships with socially and economically disadvantaged businesses.
An example of a new partnership model includes BARDA Ventures launched to stimulate innovation in product development using venture capital methods and practices. The plans are for BARDA to build out BARDA Ventures led by their nonprofit partners to develop innovative MCMs to use during public health emergencies with commercial markets. BARDA Ventures’ proceeds from these investments will be reinvested in the fund and be used to develop other new technologies.
Other goals are to establish new interagency partnerships to release new solicitations to develop MCMs focusing on emerging infectious diseases, establish partnerships to collect real time health data to improve operational intelligence, and establish a new 10 year accelerator partnership to bring together new global partners to advance promising antibacterial products.
BARDA is also going to increase support to partners to evaluate commercial markets for MCMs with prioritization on companies launching their first commercial products, entering new markets, or facing reimbursement challenges.
One of the problems is that the majority of BARDA’s portfolio focuses on advanced research and development and generally supports products that are in clinical trials.
However, this limits the number of companies that have MCM candidates ready for BARDA investment and adds to the challenges for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses. BARDA wants to ensure such disadvantaged companies have opportunities when their technologies are ready for investment.
Go to https://medicalcountermeasures.gov/media/38717/barda-strategic-plan-2022-2026.pdf for BARDA’s Strategic Plan: 2022-2026.