Appendix B: PHEMCE High-Priority Threats
The PHEMCE continues to address MCM needs to protect against high-priority threats. In 2017-2018, the PHEMCE added one new category of chemical agents (pharmaceutical-based agents) to the list, and in 2019-2020, one new category of biological threat (severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV)) was added. The PHEMCE high-priority threats are (in alphabetical order by threat area):
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Bacillus anthracis (anthrax)* and multi-drug resistant B. anthracis (MDR anthrax)*
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Burkholderia mallei (glanders)*
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Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis)*
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Clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism)*
- Ebola virus (Ebola disease)*
- Emerging infectious diseases
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Francisella tularensis (tularemia)*
- Marburg virus (Marburg virus disease)*
- Pandemic influenza
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Rickettsia prowazekii (typhus)*
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV) (including SARS-CoV-1 and -2)*
- Variola virus (smallpox)*
- Yersinia pestis (plague)*
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor nerve agents*
- Chlorine
- Cyanide salts – hydrogen, potassium, and sodium cyanide*
- Pharmaceutical based agents (including opioids)*
- Phosgene
- Vesicants*
- Radiological and nuclear agents*
* Indicates an identified material threat under section 319-2(c)(2)(A)(ii) of the Public Health Service Act, that, among other things, may make an MCM developer eligible to be awarded a material threat MCM priority review voucher pursuant to meeting the statutory criteria of 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-4a.
