Government
Under a plan finalized on May 3, 607,000 vials of the drug remdesivir were donated for use in United States hospitals hosting COVID-19 patients by the drug’s creator, Gilead Sciences, Inc.
These shipments began to roll out on May 7, packed into cases and dispatched to Connecticut (30 cases),... Read More »
Remdesivir has been shown to shorten the recovery time for patients suffering from COVID-19, and as a result, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has begun a clinical trial to see how it fairs when paired with the anti-inflammatory baricitinib.
“We now have solid... Read More »
The United States’ preparedness and response capabilities have buckled under the stress of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and proactive work is needed to meet the next infectious disease before it strikes, said experts during the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense May 8 virtual... Read More »
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduce legislation designed to improve accountability and bolster investigative priorities of the U.S. Secret Service.
The U.S. Secret Service Mission Improvement and Realignment Act of 2020 would move the Secret Service to its original... Read More »
A bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate that would expand national service programs like AmeriCorps to help the United States recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act would provide funding for 750,000 national service positions over... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials said employees must wear facial protection while at screening checkpoints to minimize COVID-19 spread and raise the airport environment's overall health and safety level.
“TSA is making this change to protect our employees and travelers as... Read More »
Industrial technology firm FLIR Systems has secured a $20.6 million Army contract to deliver Black Hornet 3 Personal Reconnaissance Systems in support of surveillance capabilities.
“Black Hornet has proven to be a game-changing technology – a small package that can deliver a big edge on the... Read More »
As more of the country reopened for business, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) used a recent Senate Health Committee hearing to press top health officials on the need for rapidly developing and scaling up production of COVID-19 tests and supplies.
The hearing, titled Shark Tank: New Tests for... Read More »
Nearly $583 million has been dispatched to 1,385 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded health centers throughout the United States and its territories to bolster COVID-19 testing, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week.
“Widespread... Read More »
Representatives from private industry and the federal government have joined forces to combat fraud and other illegal activity surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Homeland Security Investigations National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) is working with... Read More »
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials said the agency has updated guidance regarding distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) to VA health care workers assisting veterans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ensuring our VA health care workers’ safety during this global pandemic must... Read More »
Beginning October 2020, the U.S. government will benefit from an additional 26 million N95 medical-grade masks per month, as part of a new deal struck between the Department of Defense (DoD) and 3M.
The $126 million contract was funded through the CARES Act, which was passed by Congress and... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) will introduce a bill that would create a new agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Medical Command (NMC).
This new independent agency would be charged with preparing for, monitoring, and responding to pandemics. Further, it would... Read More »
One of the areas the United States has struggled with during the COVID-19 pandemic is testing capacity, but now, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is moving to expand testing, testing sites and supplies, and federal reimbursement efforts.
All of this is meant to be in line with the... Read More »
Security agencies from the United States and the United Kingdom are warning healthcare policymakers and researchers to be on the lookout for cybersecurity threat campaigns amid the COVID-19 response.
Officials representing the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the recent inspection of express-consignment shipments at the Rochester New York Airport yielded seizure of counterfeit COVID-19 test kits.
“I’m proud of the continued efforts of our CBP officers here in Rochester,” Rochester Port Director... Read More »
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced legislation to fund the increased production of health care equipment in the fight against COVID-19.
The Emergency Medical Supplies Procurement Act would provide $75 billion for the Trump administration to purchase or manufacture... Read More »
An overwhelming bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is calling on the Trump Administration to extend the United Nations arms embargo on Iran.
The embargo is set to expire in October of this year.
A group of 387 members of Congress -- including Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office has issued a series of recommendations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding efforts to strengthen national preparedness.
The GAO indicated while FEMA uses several scenarios, including pandemic influenza similar to COVID-19, to allow... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is collaborating with the Mayo Clinic on an expanded access program that will get patients hospitalized with COVID-19 access to convalescent plasma.
Convalescent plasma’s use is built on the idea that those who recover from... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Roche for its Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19, antibody test.
The test is designed to help determine if a patient has been exposed to the virus and if the patient has developed antibodies against... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) introduced legislation that would establish a committee of experts to analyze the impact of U.S. dependence on the foreign manufacturing of lifesaving drugs.
The Prescription for American Drug Independence Act would require the National... Read More »
Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA) and Ted S. Yoho (R-FL) recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, stating that America should participate in and lead global initiatives to coordinate COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution.
“The U.S. should consider participating in the... Read More »
Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) introduced Friday legislation initiating a $100 million grant program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to mobilize coronavirus testing and contact tracing.
COVID-19 Testing, Reaching and Contacting Everyone (TRACE) Act grantees would... Read More »
Following the results of two clinical trials for the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) last week, opening it to use as a treatment for those with severe cases of COVID-19.
“Based on evaluation of the... Read More »
A group of 14 Democratic U.S. senators is calling on Congress to include $8 billion in new funding for contact tracing to fight the COVID-19 virus.
Contact tracing is the process of tracking infected people to find out who they have been in contact with to stop the spread of the virus.... Read More »
The U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) placed a new order under the contract awarded in 2017 to Bavarian Nordic for the manufacturing and supply of Jynneos, a smallpox and monkeypox vaccine.
The new award is for $202 million. It is in addition to the existing... Read More »
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) recently introduced a measure designed to increase the nation’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies.
The COVID-19 Emergency Manufacturing Act authorizes the federal government to manufacture... Read More »
Global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin has secured a $6.07 billion Army contract to produce Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors and associated equipment.
"This contract demonstrates our customer's continued confidence in our ability... Read More »
Among Senate Democrats, concerns are growing that political influence and interference at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) played a role in the removal of Dr. Rick Bright from the helm of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) earlier this month.
In a... Read More »
Senate Democrats introduced legislation that lays out a framework for a coordinated federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act requires the president to utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a federal... Read More »
Several Congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are urging federal government officials to take action on the recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the problem of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when germs develop the ability... Read More »
Puritan Medical Products has been awarded a Department of Defense (DoD) contract to produce COVID-19 testing swabs.
“The Department of Defense will invest $75.5 million in Defense Production Act Title 3 funding to increase swab production by 20 million per month starting in May,” Lt. Col.... Read More »
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched a new web page with information on COVID-19 related fraud schemes.
The web site -- called Operation Stolen Promise -- will also highlight the investigative efforts the agency is taking to counter... Read More »
A group of Democrats in Congress are asking the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) about measures the agency has taken to keep homemade firearms – or ghost guns -- from falling into the wrong hands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While the surge in firearm sales from... Read More »
