Countermeasures
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals initiated the first clinical trial of REGN-COV2, an antibody cocktail for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
The REGN-COV2 clinical program will consist of four separate study populations, including hospitalized COVID-19 patients, non-hospitalized symptomatic... Read More »
Health experts maintain the federal government needs to craft a plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in Black and Latino that have borne the brunt of the pandemic nationwide.
“They are going to have to make sure we have a sound distribution plan to make sure that we don’t repeat the mistakes... Read More »
Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad F. Wolf said the agency is seeking to address problems faced by women and girls in conflict and disaster-affected areas globally.
“Our Department is grateful to President Donald J. Trump for creating an articulated strategy to promote... Read More »
Testing of Moderna’s mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine candidate moved forward this week, with the announcement that arrangements are being made to study 30,000 subjects as part of a phase 3 study in July and manufacturing set to reach as high as 1 billion 100 microgram doses per year in... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced Thursday it signed an agreement to provide its contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services to support AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the United States.
The agreement, valued at approximately $87 million, gives Emergent stateside... Read More »
The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is endorsing Rep. Bryan Steil’s bill, the Stop Evasion of Iran Sanctions Act.
The RSC’s backing of the measure is in accordance with the group’s National Security Strategy: Strengthening America and Countering Global Threats.
“The United States... Read More »
The Department of Defense (DoD) has initiated five Defense Production Act Title 3 officials said would aid in sustaining defense-critical workforce capabilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $135 million action assists in retaining body armor, aircraft manufacturing, and shipbuilding... Read More »
Another SARS-CoV-2 laboratory diagnostic has caught the attention of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is teaming up with OraSure Technology, Inc. to get it United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
This test,... Read More »
For three years, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has supported the development of Chembio Diagnostics’ DPP Zika IgM System diagnostic system, and now, the result has been approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The test detects... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization to Illumina for the first COVID-19 diagnostic test utilizing next generation sequence technology.
The Illumina COVIDSeq Test is for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from respiratory specimens collected from... Read More »
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) inventors John Neilan and Michael Puckette have come up with a breakthrough to treat foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in livestock.
FMD is a disease that is extremely contagious and afflicts animals with cloven... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has earmarked $3.9 million to fund small business research for homeland security technology needs assessment.
The agency has awarded 26 competitive research contracts to 23 small businesses participating in Phase... Read More »
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) personnel and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James crew members recently offloaded narcotics seized in international waters during a briefing at Port Everglades in Florida.
The Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security joined in detailing the... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have reached an interagency agreement with AstraZeneca to support phase 1 clinical development of a monoclonal antibody combination therapy for use against COVID-19.
This... Read More »
A new bill introduced by U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Tom Udall (D-NM), ranking members of the Committee of Energy and Natural Resources and Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies respectively, proposes to test and ensure workers’ compensation coverage for... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Roger Williams (R-TX) and Denny Heck (D-WA) introduced a bill that would move the Secret Service from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the Department of the Treasury, where it originally started.
The U.S. Secret Service Mission Improvement and Realignment Act of 2020... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Conor Lamb (D-PA) introduced legislation that would require foreign nations to implement systems for reporting and monitoring outbreaks of novel diseases.
In addition, the Never Again International Outbreak Prevention Act (H.R. 7132) would sanction bad... Read More »
A highly anticipated University of Minnesota study examining the use of hydroxychloroquine among young health care workers found the drug does not prevent symptoms of COVID-19.
The randomized trial primarily examined the use of the drug on 821 young participants with a median age of 40, who... Read More »
The University of Queensland (UQ) has partnered up with CSL and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to accelerate development, manufacturing, and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate its researchers pioneered earlier this year.
In an agreement formalized this week,... Read More »
Results are in from the phase 1 human trial of the Bavarian Nordic A/S vaccine candidate MVA-BN WEV, a prophylactic meant for use against three equine encephalitis viruses, and the data paints the picture of a well-tolerated vaccine capable of spurring immune responses.
The vaccine is meant to... Read More »
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)is encouraging the Defense Department and his congressional colleagues to reform military training procedures in the wake of a Bradenton soldier’s death during a training exercise.
Buchanan recently forwarded correspondence to the chairmen and ranking members of the... Read More »
FLIR Systems officials said the company has developed software for its T-Series, Exx-Series, and A-Series thermal imaging cameras to perform COVID-19 elevated skin temperature screenings in high-traffic areas.
Officials said the process via FLIR Screen-EST can be conducted in two seconds or less... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced a bill that would prevent explosive nuclear weapons testing.
According to a report by The Washington Post, senior Trump administration have recently discussed conducting an explosive nuclear test.
The Preserving Leadership Against Nuclear Explosives... Read More »
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense supports efforts by Congress to improve the country’s biodefense following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This will not be the last biological crisis this nation faces,” commission members wrote to Congressional leaders. “In addition to the potential... Read More »
RAND Corp. recently developed an analytical tool that can be used to predict the regional risks of importing cases of COVID-19.
The tool can be used by policymakers to mitigate the threat to public health.
The COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization tool uses International Air Transport... Read More »
The Coast Guard recently joined three other agencies in signing an agreement they said is designed to assess Hawaii’s harbors following disasters such as severe weather events.
The Coast Guard has agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric... Read More »
A coalition of AbbVie, Harbour BioMed (HBM), Utrecht University (UU), and Erasmus Medical Center (EMC) have joined together to create a monoclonal antibody therapy that could hold the key to preventing and treating COVID-19, through its viral cause: SARS-CoV-2.
The therapeutic is based on a... Read More »
As part of an expansion to their existing partnership, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and MODERNATX, Inc. will increase the domestic manufacturing capacity of the mRNA-1273 vaccine, a candidate to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The relationship has been ongoing... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced legislation to ensure that the United States can mass produce and administer a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available.
The Coronavirus Vaccine Development Act requires the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development... Read More »
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examines how federal agencies use infectious disease modeling to fight outbreaks and what can be done to improve them.
The report, titled “Infectious Disease Modeling: Opportunities to Improve Coordination and Ensure... Read More »
West Virginia officials are espousing the benefits of a $2.5 million Department of Justice (DOJ) funding allotment to aid several local police departments.
Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) said the $2,564,147 in funding allows law enforcement agencies to hire additional... Read More »
Bell Textron Inc., has reached agreements with nine aerospace industry firms to form Team Invictus, which will produce the Bell 360 Invictus prototype for the U.S. Army.
“Team Invictus is working together to show how cutting-edge technology will give soldiers the ability to confidently operate... Read More »
As part of a validation study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publicly posted test performance data from four antibody test kits this week.
This independent performance validation effort is being undertaken alongside the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced it would bring $383 million to a new partnership with AstraZeneca this week to guarantee 300 million globally accessible doses of the company’s AZD1222 vaccine candidate for COVID-19.
That vaccine still has to be proven safe... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is seeking unanimous consent on a resolution that encourages U.S. engagement with the international community on the COVID-19 response.
The resolution is in response to the Trump Administration’s failure to participate in global summits related to the research and... Read More »
