AUGUSTA – Congress is considering a federal vaccine factory to meet national demands for vaccines to prevent or lessen the effects of biological warfare agents. Some public health advocates want the effort broadened to make sure there is a national stockpile of vaccines for a wide variety of illnesses.

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I supported this provision in the Defense Authorization bill,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. “Given the urgent need to safely vaccinate military personnel against biological warfare agents, it is important that [the Department of Defense] prepare a plan and report to Congress expeditiously.”

The production facility would be built on a military base, but would be operated by a civilian contractor under provisions in the Senate version of the 2002 Defense Authorization bill. The factory would be required to meet all Food and Drug Administration regulations.

There is no similar provision in the House version of the measure, so a conference committee with members of both chambers will need to decide whether the proposal moves forward.

“I certainly think this is something we should consider,” said Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “I don’t have many details on the proposal because it originated in the Senate and it is not in the House version of the authorization bill.”

Allen said that having the federal government provide the funds to build the plant and having a civilian contractor operate the facility “combines the best of both worlds” and would meet a clear national defense need.

A Department of Defense report issued last summer concluded that such a factory should be built and that three or four vaccines “critical” to defense needs should be produced at first. Anthrax vaccine was listed as one of those because the private sector company making the vaccine has not been able to meet the demand. In 1997, the Department of Defense started a program to vaccinate all 2.4 million members of the armed forces. That effort has been slowed, with only enough vaccine available for special mission forces and those engaged in research.

“Many of us in the public health community have argued there is a role for the federal government in providing vaccines that are crucial for public health,” said Dr. Dora Mills, director of the Maine Bureau of Health. “Certainly there is a need to have anthrax vaccine, but we have had shortages of other critically important vaccines like tetanus and twice now in Maine we have had shortages of influenza vaccine.”

Mills agreed with the DOD report that charged that the pharmaceutical industry has not produced enough anthrax vaccine because it would not make much profit. She said that is also why she believes the industry has not produced enough vaccines to combat flu.

“They want the big profit margins,” she said, “and that’s why it is a good idea for the federal government to consider making these vaccines that are needed for the public health and not just for defense reasons.”

Allen agreed that Congress should consider the broader issues of vaccine availability. He said the DOD report was concerned with the narrow issues of military use, and was written before the Sept. 11 terrorist’s attacks.

“The drug industry is only concerned with getting the biggest profits it can,” Allen said. “That’s why we have had the shortages of vaccines that we need in the public health area.”

Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said the industry has responded in the past to national emergencies, and will this time.

“We are waiting for the government to tell us what they need us to do,” he said, “We have met the challenge in the past. Just look at the tremendous effort made in World War II to increase production of penicillin.”

Trewhitt dismissed the claims the industry has not met the need for flu and other vaccines because of a desire for large profits. He pointed out many of the vaccines in question are subject to price controls by the federal government.

“It takes a lot of money, hundreds of millions of dollars, to develop new medicines, including vaccines,” he said. “And vaccines in particular are very expensive to develop.”

The proposal lawmakers are considering authorizes and provides funds to plan for the facility. It will take years to build the plant and put it into production. Construction costs, which could be as high as $386 million, have not been authorized or appropriated by Congress.