According to an article in The New York Times, the Bush administration's effort to protect the American people from biological attacks, the $5.6 billion Project BioShield, is largely a failure.

It is so mostly to the reluctance of Big Pharma to participate:

The first disappointment with the new anthrax vaccine occurred in early 2004 when bids to test and manufacture it came in. None were from big pharmaceutical companies; they considered the effort unappealing because the potential market was relatively small and profits limited. They were also concerned about liability if someone became ill or died after being inoculated. Project BioShield did not offer immunity from lawsuits.

So, if the large pharmaceuticals can't make a large profit, they aren't interested in protecting the American people.

Typical.