The procurement is a key milestone of the Project BioShield (PBS) contract between MediWound and BARDA which was signed in September 2015 with procurement initiated in January 2020. Under the PBS contract, BARDA provides funds and support for the advancement of the development and manufacturing of NexoBrid, as well as the procurement of NexoBrid as a medical countermeasure for mass casualty emergencies involving thermal burns. In May 2019, Vericel entered into exclusive license and supply agreements with MediWound to commercialize NexoBrid in North America. As part of the license agreement, Vericel and MediWound will equally split gross profits generated by BARDA's initial $16.5 million procurement. In October 2019, MediWound initiated the NEXT protocol, which is supported and funded by BARDA and enables the continued clinical use of NexoBrid for U.S. patients during the preparation and review of the NexoBrid BLA.