The Department of Defense has been awarded a one-year, $1.6 million contract to Honolulu-based PanThera Biopharma for research into a small molecule antidote to treat botulism, the company announced today.

Medical countermeasures against botulism are biodefense priorities for protecting both military and civilian populations against bioterrorism, PanThera said on its Web site.
PanThera said its objective is to create a medical solution that is affordable, easy to use and store for stockpile.