SiO2 Materials Science, a privately-owned U.S. advanced materials science corporation, has signed a $143-million agreement with the US government to accelerate scale up of its packaging technology for use in containers designed to store novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines and therapeutics. SiO2’s patented container is made of plastic but features a thin glass coating for biological drugs and vaccines. The agreement is with the Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
