November 15, 2001

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, many citizens in the U.S. and around the world are now facing up to the possible threat of the use of the biochemical agent anthrax as a weapon. However, one offshoot from this situation is that the U.S. biotech company Vaxin is now working with Caleb Pharmaceuticals, a Taiwanese company specializing in manufacturing and distributing medicinal patches, to develop patches for a generic vaccine. In fact, the research has attracted a substantial subsidy from the U.S. Department of Defense for the development of vaccination patches against biochemical weapons such as anthrax and smallpox.

Cheng-shin Cheng, president of Caleb Pharmaceuticals, stated that for the past six years Caleb has concentrated on manufacturing and marketing patches. During that time, the company has been able to successfully launch its products after only one and half years of research. This is an impressive record that easily surpasses the 10-12 years it historically takes European and American pharmaceutical companies to announce new drugs on the marketplace.

Caleb's success story first caught Vaxin's attention when it was covered by the US World Daily. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in June of this year and concluded an official cooperation contract in November.

Cheng pointed out that the original goal of the alliance between Vaxin and Caleb was to combine the expertise of the two companies in order to develop patches to replace traditional means of administering vaccines, such as orally or by injection. When the anthrax attack occurred, the U.S. Department of Defense contacted Vaxin and Caleb and provided them a budget for research with the expectation of having the anti-anthrax vaccine patches available for use in the shortest possible time.

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