Government
The World Health Organization (WHO) approved Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ drug cocktail of casirivimab and imdevimab for use on COVID-19 patients last week, but that endorsement came with a caveat: it urged lower prices, patent releases and equitable distribution.
The Regeneron antibody... Read More »
Several Senate Republican leaders recently expressed “growing concern” over the nation’s stalled progress in fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and requested details on how the Biden administration plans to move forward during the coming months.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The NDAA addresses the nation's defense budget, Afghanistan accountability, additional defense priorities, as well as countering China and Russia.
“For 61 consecutive years, the House... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials said the agencies are collaborating to address illegal hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) importation.
“Using an all-hands-on-deck approach, we must urgently address the climate crisis that is threatening both our... Read More »
At the United States-hosted Global COVID-19 Summit last week, world leaders recommitted to guaranteeing equitable vaccine access for all countries through COVAX, and pledged a mix of funds, doses and supply chain aid to ensure it.
“Science has made huge progress in the fight to save lives,... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, convened a hearing Thursday to examine the Biden Administration’s actions to beef up the nation’s cybersecurity defenses.
Peters and witnesses discussed what the federal government needs in... Read More »
The Department of Defense (DoD) has detailed the allocation of five grants totaling approximately $25 million via the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program.
Officials said the allotment stems from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation -- leveraging an additional $11.7... Read More »
Curtiss-Wright Corporation officials said the firm has secured Navy contracts totaling $100 million to provide pumps for the military branch's Virginia-class submarine, Columbia-class submarine and Ford-class aircraft carrier programs.
“Curtiss-Wright is proud to have been awarded these... Read More »
The Mexican government approved biotechnology company INOVIO to begin a Phase 3 efficacy trial of its COVID-19 DNA vaccine candidate, INO-4800, this week alongside its partner Advaccine Biopharmaceuticals Suzhou Co., Ltd.
This Mexican trial is part of a larger, worldwide Phase 2/3 trial known as... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and its HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) announced that it supports the Biden Administration’s movements in making the COVID-19 vaccines accessible around the world, but said more could be done to achieve vaccine equity.
In a letter to the... Read More »
While falling short of the full authorization Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have clamored for, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amended existing emergency use authorization (EUA) for the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine to allow a single booster dose for certain... Read More »
Lawmakers examined the nationwide evolution of post 9/11 threats during a recent Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing.
"This hearing is timely," Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said. "A... Read More »
In a letter drafted in advance of the COVID-19 international summit being hosted by President Joe Biden, a group of United States senators and representatives pressed the president this week to commit resources to advancing vaccination efforts worldwide.
The urging from members of Biden’s own... Read More »
A group of lawmakers have introduced a bill preventing the Biden Administration from recognizing Afghanistan's Taliban-controlled government in international organizations.
Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) joined Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) in detailing the... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) commended President Joe Biden for hosting a Global COVID-19 Summit and encouraged those participating in the summit to commit to stemming the impacts of the pandemic around the world.
NTI -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization focused on... Read More »
Tacking onto President Joe Biden’s call to make the United States an arsenal of vaccines for the world, Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE agreed to expand an arrangement with the U.S. government and provide another 500 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine for low and lower-middle-income... Read More »
As the CEO of American PAPR, a Brooklyn-based company that manufactures American-made personal protective equipment, Giles Kyser has hired lobbyists to make the case that the federal government should procure medical equipment whose raw materials are sourced and assembled in the United States.... Read More »
In letters to the CEOs of three of the top social media sites -- Facebook, Twitter and Youtube -- United States Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) pressed for information this week on respective policies for monitoring and removing both extremist and conspiratorial content posted online.
“Online... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agency has initiated a facial biometric pilot in select vehicle lanes at the Anzalduas International Bridge Port of Entry (POE), Texas.
Simplified Arrival uses facial biometrics to automate manual document checking procedures required for... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) urged Senate leadership to include a minimum of $7.7 billion and targeted tax relief in the disaster supplemental funding package requested by the State of California to respond and recover from the 2021 wildfire season.
“California is... Read More »
A pair of lawmakers have forwarded correspondence to Attorney General Merrick Garland, seeking a progress report regarding hate crime reduction efforts and
COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act implementation.
The letter from Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) was sent four months after... Read More »
Working in concert with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD) last week awarded four contracts valued at a total of $647 million for the purchase of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits.
Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, these... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced legislation Friday that would tackle the federal government’s response to suspected directed energy attacks, also known as “Havana Syndrome”.
The legislation, the Directed Energy Threat Emergency Response Act, would... Read More »
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intends to invest $2.1 billion to improve infection prevention and control activities at the state, local and territorial levels, and better improve national capabilities to prepare for emerging infectious diseases.
These funds... Read More »
A group of lawmakers from Florida are encouraging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reverse its decision to ration monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs for COVID-19 outpatient treatment.
The lawmakers said the HHS decision would result in Florida facing a deficit of doses. Sen.... Read More »
Since August 16, 2021, United States Customers and Border Protection (CBP) officers have reported seizing as many as five shipments of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, amounting to 1,683 total forged cards and 2,034 equally counterfeit Pfizer inoculation stickers.
It’s a growing problem as the... Read More »
A pair of lawmakers introduced a bill that seeks to place Congressional controls on the use of emergency funding for enduring wars.
Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Mike Braun (R-IN) maintain the Restraining Emergency War Spending Act prescribes a statutory definition to classify emergency war... Read More »
A pair of lawmakers have introduced a bill they said seeks to create an emergency supply of key ingredients used in essential generic medicines.
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) maintain the bipartisan Promoting Readiness and Ensuring Proper Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient... Read More »
While buoyed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s advancement of the Build Back Better Act, and the offerings therein, the United States COVID-19 Global Vaccination Caucus chimed in last week to note that its offers for vaccine manufacturing are just a beginning.
The caucus consists of... Read More »
Leaders of several international organizations including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization met with the CEOs of leading vaccine manufacturing companies to discuss way to improve low- and lower-middle income countries’... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) joined forces in introducing legislation directing the U.S. Secretary of State to designate the Afghan Taliban as a terrorist organization.
The... Read More »
The fourth implementation phase of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s (BARDA) Transatlantic Taskforce for Antimicrobial Resistance (TATFAR) began this week, opening a new round of efforts to mobilize investment to fight growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
To... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said the agency is seeking participants for the 2022 First Responder Electronic Jamming Exercise (JamX 22).
There has been a Request for Information (RFI) issued for the endeavor at White Sands Missile... Read More »
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company have secured Department of Defense (DOD) contracts to produce additional doses of monoclonal antibodies to block the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2.
Authorities indicated the $3.2 billion total allotment is in coordination with the Department... Read More »
In a new paper, researchers from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) found that nuclear security now exists in something of a patchwork: from individual states’ domestic regulations and policies, to informal groups of countries working on aspects of security and more formal binding... Read More »
