When your goal is to prevent disease, what better partner can you have than the body's own immune system. There is a company in Rockville, Maryland that develops drugs with that notion firmly in mind.

Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE: EBS) is a biopharmaceutical company, focusing on the development and commercialization of products that boost the immune system's ability to stave off diseases. The firm serves both government and commercial clients. For the government, it supplies the only FDA-approved anthrax vaccine. It is also working on a post-exposure treatment for anthrax and a vaccine for botulinum toxin. On the commercial side, the company is developing vaccines for typhoid, hepatitis B, group B streptococcus, meningitis and chlamydia. Emergent operates from offices in the US, the UK, Germany and Singapore.

The firm pleased investors earlier in the week, when it guided FY07 revenues to $183 million. Analysts had been expecting $180.82 million. Management also said it expected FY08 revenues of $180-195 million, versus consensus of $160.19 million. Further, the company announced positive results from its typhoid vaccine work and said it would be enrolling patients in its hepatitis B study.