RICHMOND, VA, Sept. 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kaléo, a privately held commercial-stage US pharmaceutical company, today announced the signing of its first contract with the US Department of Defense (DoD) to procure the Rapid Opioid Countermeasure System (ROCS), a 10 mg naloxone auto-injector (naloxone hydrochloride injection) as an antidote to ultra-potent armed opioids. The contract includes an award for the manufacture and delivery of up to 788,000 units.

“ROCS is designed to protect and maintain the operational readiness of the Joint Force and our NATO allies,” said Colonel Matthew Clark, PhD, PMP, the Joint Project Manager for CBRN Medical. “Armored synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanyl have a history of operational use and continue to pose a unique threat to our service personnel. This first shipment of ROCS auto-injectors is a tremendous achievement.”

Kaléo received the prototype development contract for the ROCS program in 2018 from the Joint Project Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Medical (JPM CBRN Medical), a component of the US Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in collaboration with the Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP). The JPM CBRN Medical facilitates the advanced development and acquisition of Medical Countermeasures (MCM) and systems to enhance the country’s CBRN response capability.

“This first DoD procurement contract is an important milestone for Kaléo,” said Mark A. Herzog, the company’s vice president, global corporate affairs, defense and homeland security. “We are pleased to have delivered ROCS on budget and five months ahead of schedule, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and global supply chain disruptions.”

Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 28, 2022, ROCS is a 10 mg naloxone autoinjector (naloxone hydrochloride injection)…