Government
The federal Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is working with OraSure Technology to develop a test for the coronavirus (COVID-19) that could bring testing closer to the patient.
OraSure’s point-of-care test will be available at home and in clinical settings. It... Read More »
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would provide $186 million to state and local jurisdictions for COVID-19 support.
“Testing and surveillance is a vital piece of our efforts to beat the coronavirus, and this new... Read More »
A group of legislators recently introduced legislation designed to create a commission to assess the nation's response and make recommendations for future pandemic preparedness.
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) joined 12 colleagues in presenting the Pandemic Rapid Response Act, which establishes the... Read More »
Hydroxychloroquine is flooding the Strategic National Stockpile this week as a potential treatment for COVID-19, thanks to a 30 million dose donation from Sandoz and another 1 million gifted by Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
Both hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate were given U.S. Food... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) intends to purchase the ID NOW COVID-19 rapid point-of-care test developed by Abbott Diagnostics Scarborough Inc., to expand the supply of diagnostics available to state, territorial and tribal public health labs.
Designed for the ID NOW... Read More »
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the creation of the COVID-19 Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC) to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in Massachusetts.
This collaboration with Partners In Health focuses on tracing the contacts of confirmed positive COVID-19 patients and... Read More »
A bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to establish a National Commission on United States Preparedness for National Emergencies.
The Made in America Emergency Preparedness Act authorizes the creation of a National Commission on United States Preparedness for... Read More »
A Republican group of legislators announced plans to introduce the Li Wenliang Global Public Health Accountability Act designed to address foreign officials who attempted to conceal early onset COVID-19 public health information.
The Act would also sanction any foreign official who may conceal a... Read More »
Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón recently led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing a measure that bolsters the U.S. supply chain amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
González-Colón and Reps. Donna Shalala (D-FL), Rob Bishop (R-UT), Darren Soto (D-FL), Ruben... Read More »
As part of ongoing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) efforts to promote reliable COVID-19 information, it has modified its existing surveillance systems to form a weekly new report known as COVIDView, which will summarize and interpret data each Friday.
The first COVIDView... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stepped in to fast-track development of and access to two more investigational therapies for COVID-19 based on convalescent plasma and hyperimmune globulin from human blood.
By using blood donated from those who have recovered from the SARS-CoV-2... Read More »
Senate Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT) and Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS) are encouraging Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to ensure National Guard members receive benefits and pay earned from their time in active duty responding to COVID-19.
The senators are advocating the action... Read More »
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has forwarded correspondence to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking clarity regarding reported shortages of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warren maintains the drugs, which are generally used to treat lupus,... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced two new corporate partnerships last week, with the Luminex Corporation and GenMark, Dx, respectively, to get more COVID-19 diagnostic tests to market.
Both are rapid diagnostic tests. The Luminex test draws from nasal... Read More »
The federal government has seized hundreds of thousands of personal protective equipment (PPE) from price gougers with the intent of redistributing them to frontline workers working amid the COVID-19 crisis in New York and New Jersey.
The items -- which included around 192,000 N95 respirator... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions is working with the U.S. government to develop a therapy for patients diagnosed with coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
The partnership is through a $14.5 million grant from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop a COVID-Human Immune... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is urging the Trump Administration to address the nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and emergency responders.
In his home state, Peters cited the travails of the Detroit Police Department, which has had to quarantine... Read More »
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) received its share of personal protective equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile in full this week, granting an equipment influx of hundreds of thousands to meet the threat of COVID-19.
Ohio was among early requesters for additional equipment and its... Read More »
SAb Biotherapeutics, Inc. is now among those companies rushing to produce a COVID-19 treatment, and both the Department of Defense (DoD) and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) have partnered with it to make it happen.
SAb’s product is called SAB-185 and pushes for... Read More »
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) is urging Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of the Health and Human Services (HHS) officials to provide plans addressing COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.
McCaul recently sought feedback from FDA Commissioner Stephan Hahn and HHS Secretary Alex Azar on... Read More »
Leadership at the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) commended the $2.2 trillion relief bill signed by President Trump last week, stating more relief is still needed for firefighters and emergency workers.
IAFC President, Fire Chief Gary Ludwig, said the CARES Act is a significant... Read More »
Doctors and researchers maintain a new free app is helping to track the onset and progression of COVID-19 symptoms nationwide while identifying those at risk sooner and slowing the outbreak.
Officials said the COVID Symptom Tracker requests contributors answer a few simple questions about... Read More »
The Army Contracting Command – Warren has awarded a $346.4 million contract to Oshkosh Defense to modernize vehicles in the Army and Army Reserve’s Heavy Tactical Vehicle (FHTV) fleets.
The scope of work involves the firm recapitalizing Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and... Read More »
Federal lawmakers in Maryland commended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its move to return the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick to full operational capacity.
The USAMRIID will now resume conducting its full scope of... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently pushed for increased funding for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program (PHEP) and Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP).
Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led 24 of their colleagues in forwarding correspondence to the Senate’s Subcommittee... Read More »
Raytheon Company, an electronics mission systems integration firm, recently secured a $2.1 billion, multi-year contract with the Missile Defense Agency to produce and deliver SM-3 Block IB interceptors.
"This procurement deal is a win-win for government and industry," Mitch Stevison, Raytheon... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is speeding up timelines for clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates produced by Janssen Research & Development and Moderna.
“Vaccines are essential to saving lives,” BARDA Director Rick Bright said. “Delivering a... Read More »
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is encouraging expanded regional and multilateral health organizations’ support as the global confrontation of the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of State... Read More »
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is seeking to expedite Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance regarding allowing distilleries to continue manufacturing hand sanitizer in the wake of shortages created by COVID-19.
Reps. Andy Barr (R-KY) and John Yarmuth (D-KY) have led the initiative,... Read More »
The Strategic National Stockpile grew by 31 million doses of various medications this weekend, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took on donations that may, eventually, aid clinical trials or be used to treat those hospitalized with COVID-19.
To be clear, none of those... Read More »
Johnson & Johnson wants to begin human testing of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate by September as part of a $1 billion joint investment between the company and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The end goal is to create a billion vaccines for emergency pandemic use to be... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Ted Yoho (R-FL) and Darren Soto (D-FL) introduced a bill to ensure the United States builds its stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The American-Made Protection for Healthcare Workers and First Responders Act will address the PPE shortage and build the national... Read More »
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) hosted a virtual summit last week to foster collaboration among government agencies and biopharmaceutical innovators to eradicate coronavirus (COVID-19).
The two-day virtual event allowed companies working on treatments and vaccines to come... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said the agency has extended the REAL ID enforcement deadline one year to Oct.1, 2021, in the wake of COVID-19.
The extension is in accordance with directives from President Donald Trump, and DHS will publish a notice of the new deadline in the... Read More »
The world is at war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the G20 Leaders Summit this week, and every country needs to unite to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You have come together to confront the defining health crisis of our time: We are at war... Read More »
