FORT DETRICK, Md. – December 22, 2022 – The Defense Department's office responsible for acquiring medical countermeasures against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats has awarded an agreement for the production of more life-saving nerve agent exposure treatments. The Joint Project Manager for CBRN Medical (JPM CBRN Medical) awarded a follow-on other transaction authority production agreement to Rafa Laboratories, Ltd. (Rafa) to manufacture and deliver 10mg midazolam injection autoinjectors to the Joint Force beginning December 2022.
The midazolam injection autoinjector is indicated to treat prolonged seizures in adults, which can occur after exposure to a nerve agent. This new Advanced Anticonvulsant System (AAS) improves upon, and will eventually replace, the currently fielded Convulsant Antidote for Nerve Agent (CANA) diazepam autoinjector. Fielding the midazolam injection autoinjector gives the warfighter and the Nation access to a life-saving medical countermeasure in CBRN environments.
“Ongoing partnerships with industry are key to enabling the Joint Force to execute its mission,” said Col. Matthew G. Clark, Joint Project Manager for CBRN Medical. “The AAS midazolam injection autoinjector will provide warfighters with a compact, life-saving medical countermeasure when seconds count, ensuring their ability to survive in contested CBRN threat environments.”
This OTA agreement was awarded through the Army Contracting Command-APG-Fort Detrick for the JPM CBRN Medical, a component of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), with funding from the Chemical and Biological Defense Program.
About the JPM CBRN Medical: The Joint Project Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Medical (JPM CBRN Medical), a component of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, aims to provide U.S. military forces and the nation with safe, effective, and innovative medical solutions to counter chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. The JPM CBRN Medical facilitates the advanced development and acquisition of medical countermeasures and systems to enhance the nation’s biodefense response capability.
About the JPEO-CBRND: The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) protects the Joint Force by providing medical countermeasures and defense equipment against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. The JPEO-CBRND’s goal is to enable the Joint Force to fight and win unencumbered by a CBRN environment. The JPEO-CBRND facilitates the rapid response, advanced development, manufacturing and acquisition of medical solutions, such as vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, to combat CBRN and emerging threats such as COVID-19. To learn more about the JPEO-CBRND, visit https://www.jpeocbrnd.osd.mil or follow the JPEO-CBRND on social media at @JPEOCBRND.