Akorn Gets $3.5M Calcium Order

Akorn, Inc. has received a $3.5 million purchase order from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide Ca-DTPA and Zn-DTPA. This order represents a partial exercise of a purchase option that was awarded to the company by HHS on December 30, 2005, for the acquisition of as much as an additional one million units of Ca-DTPA and Zn-DTPA by the U.S. Government.

The purchase order quantities are intended to provide countermeasures to protect the American military population in the event of a radiological or nuclear incident. Akorn expects to deliver the entire order quantity in the fourth quarter of this year.

Arthur S. Przybyl, president and chief executive officer stated, “This purchase order represents the first time that the Department of Health and Human Services has exercised its option to purchase additional quantities of Ca-DTPA and Zn-DTPA. We anticipate that additional purchase options will be exercised over the next several years for these two important antidotes.”