Jane Edwards 
- Battelle and CMC have partnered on a DOW nerve agent countermeasure effort
- CMC handles chemistry, manufacturing and controls activities
- The 2026 Healthcare Summit will explore AI, data privacy, access to care and more
The Department of War has chosen Battelle and CMC Pharmaceuticals for the Acetylcholinesterase Reactivator Development and Approval Pipeline, or ARDAP, Prototype Program to develop an improved medical countermeasure designed to protect service members against nerve agents.
As DOW invests in medical countermeasures for warfighters, the Defense Health Agency and other federal health organizations continue to advance their own readiness and care priorities. Government and industry leaders will gather at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 3 to discuss fiscal year 2027 contracting priorities across the Department of Health and Human Services, the DHA and the Veterans Health Administration, along with AI adoption, data privacy, access to care and modernization. Register now to hear directly from the leaders shaping federal health acquisition.
Battelle said Wednesday the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Joint Science and Technology Office awarded the effort.
What Is ARDAP?
ARDAP is a five-year, $40 million prototype program that seeks to create a pathway for developing and securing approval of enhanced acetylcholinesterase reactivators that would serve as medical countermeasures against nerve agent exposure.
Battelle and its partners will move a candidate reactivator through the drug development process toward submitting an investigational new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration. The partners have made progress on manufacturing, clinical, nonclinical and regulatory planning to support the submission and later clinical studies.
Ohio-based CMC Pharmaceuticals handles laboratory development, testing, formulation, stability evaluation, contract manufacturing oversight and other chemistry, manufacturing and controls work for the program.
What Did Battelle & CMC Pharmaceuticals Leaders Say About ARDAP?
Drew Cawthon, business line director at Battelle, said the organization has long supported DOW in developing countermeasures that protect military personnel against chemical threats.
“As the ARDAP program progresses toward IND submission, we are proud to continue supporting this important mission and to continue to drive next-generation solutions to emerging threats with a strong partner like CMC Pharmaceuticals,” Cawthon added.
Mike Radomsky, president of CMC Pharmaceuticals, described the program as an addition to the company’s expanding portfolio of therapeutics and medical countermeasures for the federal government.
“We are excited to team with Battelle and provide our chemistry, manufacturing, and controls expertise to such an important program,” said Radomsky. “Providing drug development services to the U.S. Department of War to protect our troops against the threat of nerve agents is truly an honor.”
How Does the Latest Award Build on Battelle’s Recent Federal Work?
The ARDAP Prototype Program award follows several other federal contracts Battelle has secured this year. In January, Battelle was named a major subcontractor to SA-TECH on the West Desert Test Center Mission Support Services contract at Army Dugway Proving Ground. The seven-year, over $100 million contract supports chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense testing.
In February, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency selected Battelle as the sole awardee of the Scientific and Technical Engagement Partnership 2.0 contract, which carries a $52.9 million base period and a potential value of $93.3 million for biological threat reduction work.
In October, Battelle received two awards from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including a five-year, $12.3 million contract to support the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. The organization was also named an awardee under the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s potential five-year, $25 million Public Health Mission Support Services blanket purchase agreement.
