Nature of the business and organization

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature of the business and organization

Nature of the business and organization

Organization and business

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (the "Company" or "Emergent") is a global life sciences company focused on providing specialty products for civilian and military populations that address accidental, deliberate and naturally occurring public health threats ("PHTs," each a “PHT”).

The Company is focused on innovative preparedness and response products and solutions addressing the following six distinct PHT categories: Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives ("CBRNE"); emerging infectious diseases ("EID"); travel health; emerging health crises, acute/emergency care, and contract development and manufacturing ("CDMO"). The Company has a product portfolio of twelve products and product candidates (vaccines, therapeutics, and drug-device combination products) that generate a majority of our revenue. The U.S. government (the "USG') is the Company's largest customer and provides us with substantial funding for the development of a number of its product candidates.

The Company's product portfolio includes:

Vaccines

▪ ACAM2000^® (Smallpox (Vaccinia) Vaccine, Live), the only single-dose smallpox vaccine licensed by the FDA for active immunization against smallpox disease for persons determined to be at high risk for smallpox infection;

▪ BioThrax^® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), the only vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), for the general use prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis of anthrax disease;

▪ Vaxchora® (Cholera Vaccine, Live, Oral), the only FDA-licensed vaccine for the prevention of cholera, it is orally delivered; and

▪ Vivotif® (Typhoid Vaccine Live Oral Ty21a), the only oral vaccine licensed by the FDA for the prevention of typhoid fever.

Devices

▪ NARCAN® (naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray, the first and only needle-free formulation of naloxone approved by the FDA and Health Canada, for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose as manifested by respiratory and/or central nervous system depression;

▪ RSDL^® (Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion Kit), the only medical device cleared by the FDA to remove or neutralize the following chemical warfare agents from the skin: tabun, sarin, soman, cyclohexyl sarin, VR, VX, mustard gas and T-2 toxin; and

Therapeutics

▪ raxibacumab (Anthrax Monoclonal), the first fully human monoclonal antibody therapeutic licensed by the FDA for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax;

▪ Anthrasil^® (Anthrax Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human)), the only polyclonal antibody therapeutic licensed by the FDA and Health Canada for the treatment of inhalational anthrax;

▪ BAT® (Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (A,B,C,D,E,F,G)-(Equine)), the only heptavalent antibody therapeutic licensed by the FDA and Health Canada for the treatment of botulism; and

▪ VIGIV (Vaccinia Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human)), the only polyclonal antibody therapeutic licensed by the FDA and Health Canada to address certain complications from smallpox vaccination.

Product Candidates

▪ AV7909^® (Anthrax Vaccine Absorbed with Adjuvant), is a product candidate being developed as a next generation anthrax vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis of disease resulting from suspected or confirmed Bacillus antracis exposure. The USG has started procuring AV7909 for the SNS prior to its approval by the FDA and has been reducing its purchases of BioThrax as a result;

▪ Trobigard® is a combination drug-device auto-injector product candidate that contains atropine sulfate and obidoxime chloride. It has not been approved by the FDA or any similar health regulatory body, but is procured by certain authorized government buyers under special circumstances for potential use as a nerve agent countermeasure.

The Company also generates revenue from contract development and manufacturing services on a clinical and commercial (small and large) scale by providing such services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.  These services include process development and bulk drug substance and drug product manufacturing of biologics, fill/finish formulation and analytical development services for injectable and other sterile products, inclusive of process design, technical transfer, manufacturing validations, aseptic filling, lyophilization, final packaging and stability studies, as well as manufacturing of vial and pre-filled syringe formats across bacterial, viral and mammalian therapy technology platforms.

We operate as one operating segment.