let's not forget that siga has a very ticked off competitor with some serious political clout behind it, so one has to wonder if this would still be an issue if the competitor didn't have a beef. i also wonder if negotiations from similar procurements from other companies would also hold up to such scrutiny. let's also not forget that the process actually began under the bush administration when funds were given to the company to develop the drug. also, perleman donates to both parties. and, look at the whole board of directors. it may surprise you that not long after stern was appointed, frances townsend, homeland security advisor to president bush, was added and she is an expert on bioterrorism. while smallpox was eradicated, anyone with a basic biology degree can reverse engineer the virus from existing pox (cowpox etc.) viruses. an antiviral is needed for several reasons... first, smallpox in its early stages mimics cold/flu-like symptoms, so by the time it is discovered that a person may have spread smallpox it would be to late to administer the vaccine. the vaccine only has a four day window for use after a person is exposed. second, not every person can tolerate the vaccine. about 20 to 25% of the population cannot be vaccinated due to health issues. i have eczema and cannot be vaccinated. third, the vaccine itself is known to have serious side effects in those that are healthy. interesting note is siga's product was used successfully in three cases where the vaccine caused serious illness. the cdc considers just one case of smallpox to be a national emergency and cleanup would be economically devastating. a good read on the subject is demon in the freezer by the same author of the hot zone. yes, i am posting similar posts on various websites. i think some important facts are missing.

why have a cure for a bio terror threat? why do we scan the skys for planet killer meteorites when the last major impact was 60 million years ago? i for one wish we had planned for the possibility of commercial jets being used as flying bombs before 9/11. the reason that siga got a sole source contract is they are the only competitor with a drug that cures smallpox - why would you give a contract to a company that does not have a drug that cures smallpox? this drug has already saved the lives of three people who had adverse reactions to smallpox vaccine - reactions that are similar in nature to the actual disease. perhaps you should do some research before spouting off like a know it all. like for instance that this program was initiated during the bush administration and has been supported by congressman from both sides. siga develops a cure for a disease that has killed 300-500 million people in history and now they are the bad guys? i hope they don't cure cancer - they would probably do jail time.