Rapid Micro Biosystems Announces Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Exercises Third Year Option Under Three-Year Contract

Published: Sep 26, 2012

BEDFORD, MA--(Marketwire - September 26, 2012) -

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Rapid Micro Biosystems, a leading provider of automated, non-destructive, rapid microbial detection, today announced the exercise of the third and final year contract option by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for the development of rapid sterility testing as part of BARDA's Science and Technology Platforms Applied to the Medical Countermeasure (MCM) Development program.

Rapid Micro Biosystems will receive $2.4 million for the third contract year. The third contract year runs through Q3 2013. With the third year renewal, Rapid Micro Biosystems has received the total contract value of $6.7 million.

"Our continuing relationship with BARDA demonstrates the critical need for rapid sterility testing as part of pandemic response," said Steve Delity, Chief Executive Officer of Rapid Micro Biosystems.

"We are pleased with the results of our automated, rapid sterility test thus far," said Sarath Krishnaswamy, Vice President of Research & Development. "Our unique detection technology starts to show contamination detection within hours and provide final enumeration results in 50% of the time of the traditional 14 day test."

Reducing the time-to-release of vaccines or other biopharmaceutical countermeasures will facilitate the prevention and control of epidemic diseases like influenza, other emerging infections and agents of bioterrorism. Faster microbiological quality control (QC) testing will reduce the release cycle of vaccines by as much as two to four weeks.

About Rapid Micro Biosystems
Rapid Micro Biosystems, headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, provides innovative products for faster, automated detection of microbial contamination in the manufacture of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and personal care products. The Company's Growth Direct™ System detects contamination earlier, delivering compelling economic benefits to manufacturers while improving their quality process. The Growth Direct™ System is the first and only automated system that accelerates testing, fits with current regulatory practices, and addresses all key applications. For more information, visit www.rapidmicrobio.com.