Hemispherx Not Among 4 to Get H1N1 Flu Contracts

Hemispherx Biopharma(HEB Quote) has been shut out of the U.S. government's efforts to stockpile vaccine against the H1N1 flu.

Four companies were awarded contracts Monday totaling just under $900 million to supply ingredients for a potential H1N1 vaccine. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the contracts, which went to Novartis(NVS Quote), GlaxoSmithKline(GSK Quote), Sanofi-Aventis(SNY Quote) and AztraZeneca(AZN Quote).

Hemispherx wasn't necessarily in the running for a U.S. flu contract, but the company has sought, in recent weeks, to promote itself to investors as a player in the global effort to develop an effective vaccine against the latest strain of the flu. ...