WASHINGTON, October 11th, 2003 -- More than $19 million is on its way to Lowcountry companies, including one on Hilton Head Island, as part of the recently signed defense appropriations bill. Altogether, contractors in the state have been awarded $279 million under the bill.

"There are a lot of small and medium-sized manufacturers that help produce defense-related equipment," said Andy Davis, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C. These small and medium-sized manufacturers make a notable contribution to the South Carolina economy." Davis said. The appropriations bill promises a boost to the state's economy, including Beaufort County.

Hilton Head-based Kigre will get $2.25 million to produce an essential component for airborne reconnaissance systems. Using a "recipe" patented by the Navy, Kigre plans to make a glass component to enhance surveillance, said Jeffrey Myers, Kigre vice president. The company has perfected a glass component that is larger than previous models and will allow a wider range of light waves to pass through surveillance lenses, something no other company has been able to achieve, Myers said, adding that the company plans to upgrade its facilities to accommodate the larger glass components. Another manufacturer in the region, GenPhar, located in Charleston, will receive $8.4 million to develop vaccines for the Ebola and Marburg viruses. The money will be used to continue research on developing vaccines "that would be used (for) defense in the event of any bioterrorism," said Kevin Dye, CEO of GenPhar.

Marburg and Ebola come from the same class of virus, so if a vaccine is found for one of the viruses it also should treat the other," Dye said. Using animal trials, GenPhar already has found a vaccine for Marburg.
" Once again, South Carolina is demonstrating that we are on the forefront of military technology," U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement.

"Military facilities in South Carolina are the tip of the spear for our nation's armed forces. I am proud to be from a state that is invaluable to America's fighting force. We provide the human assets and support systems that make the U.S. military the world's premier fighting force," Graham said. Graham is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The other allotments for Lowcountry companies are:

GenPhar, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to becoming a leader in developing and producing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to protect against the world’s most dangerous diseases. To reach its goals, GenPhar will leverage the advantage of its proven safe and effective ProVax and TheraVax vaccine platforms -- unique technology capable of producing multiple vaccine products. GenPhar's products are divided into two main areas: vaccines for biodefense and vaccines for chronic infectious diseases (including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C). These products will have a large scale socio-economic impact and transformative effect on current research and treatments. GenPhar was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

To learn more about GenPhar and its vaccine programs, please contact us.