United States-based CONTINUUS Pharmaceuticals Inc announced on Thursday that it has received a USD69.3m United States government contract to facilitate domestic production of three vital medicines intended to treat critically ill patients, including those with COVID-19.

The Department of Defense (DoD) awarded the contract in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The contract will also allow construction of the country's first Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)-certified facility for end-to-end, ICM-driven production of small-molecule drugs, including marketed products, generic medications and investigational therapies through all phases of clinical trials and a product's lifecycle. CONTINUUS Pharmaceuticals is also breaking ground for a new facility in Woburn, Massachusetts and aims to make the facility completely operational within two years.