"Anthrax vaccine and public health policy" in AJPH

The latest issue of the American Journal of Public Health includes a very interesting paper by Martin Weiss and colleagues examining the spectrum of issues related to anthrax vaccine development and military vaccination efforts in recent years. The extensively-cited paper, "Anthrax vaccine and public health policy,"(subscription required for full text) also details the U.S. government's relationships with BioPort (now Emergent BioSolutions, the manufacturer of the currently licensed vaccine) and VaxGen, whose failures in anthrax vaccine development have been detailed at length here and elsewhere.

The paper raises far more questions than it answers, but it is worthwhile reading for those interested in the role of vaccines in biodefense efforts and, more generally, the role of government in vaccine development.