Countermeasures
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 »
Emergent BioSolutions announced Tuesday a partnership agreement with Novavax, under which it will provide molecule-to-market contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services to produce Novavax’s NanoFlu.
NanoFlu is Novavax’s seasonal influenza vaccine candidate with the proprietary... 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 »
Battelle and the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have joined forces to develop a diagnostic test for COVID-19.
The new rapid test will allow for faster turnaround time with results available in as few as five hours. Wexner Medical Center will administer the new test under its... 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 »
Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc have begun patient treatment outside the United States as part of an evaluation of Kevzara (sarilumab) in patients hospitalized with severe cases of COVID-19.
The effort is part of Phase 2 and 3 trials in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Canada, and... 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 »
Apple released an app and web site to help guide Americans through a series of questions about their health and exposure to determine if they should seek care for COVID-19 coronavirus symptoms.
The technology company developed the app and web site in partnership with the White House... Read More »
Battelle is manufacturing a system to rapidly decontaminate N95 respirator masks and other medical protective equipment.
The Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS) is capable of decontaminating up to 80,000 masks per day and even more pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE)... 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 »
Abbott became the latest company to release a COVID-19 diagnostic last week, pledging test turnaround times of as little as five minutes.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the test emergency use authorization last week. It is meant to run on another Abbott product, the ID NOW... 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 »
In a system severely taxed by the COVID-19 pandemic, hoarding of health and medical supplies has become a serious concern, and a new Executive Order, to be enforced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is now in effect to tackle that concern.
“Today, we designated a set... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is conducting research to better understand the COVID-19 coronavirus and prevent its spread.
Currently, there is only limited information available about the virus. Researchers at the National Biodefense Analysis... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) introduced a bill Wednesday to address the shortage of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other medical supplies.
The Medical Supply Chain Emergency Act would require the president to use the authority invoked under the Defense Production Act to produce... Read More »
Clinical trials for the potential COVID-19 antiviral remdesivir are getting underway at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), which announced this week that it is enrolling patients for two studies.
The test, developed by Gilead Sciences Inc., is a general-purpose antiviral first... Read More »
Entos Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian biotechnology company, is working on a DNA vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2 -- the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 -- and intends to test it on animal models.
The vaccine, produced using a proprietary drug delivery platform, offers yet another potential... Read More »
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a rapid response research (RAPID) grant to a Northwestern University researcher to develop a new self-sanitizing medical face mask.
The funding initiative stems from the NSF calling for immediate proposals addressing the spread of... Read More »
BAE Systems has secured a $339 million contract modification from the Army to address long-term readiness and modernization needs of the M109 self-propelled howitzer program.
The scope of work would include the production of 48 vehicle sets of M109A7 Self-propelled Howitzer (SPH) and its... Read More »
Leading global health experts have released a COVID-19 Frontline Guide for local governments designed to provide local health professionals with more information on how to protect their communities.
The online tool features eight indicators of progress for self-assessment and seven key actions... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided instructions to manufacturers importing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other devices to increase supplies to support the COVID-19 response.
The instructions clarify the types of PPE that can be imported without engaging with the... Read More »
Professional services and technologies firm KBR has secured a $26.8 million task order to provide additional Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) cybersecurity engineering support.
The agreement aids the AFLCMC’s Engineering Directorate Cyber Systems Engineering Division in... Read More »
A bipartisan group of lawmakers said they are seeking bolstered legislative support for first responders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) joined Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Peter King (R-NY), Mike Bost (R-IL), and over 100 of their... Read More »
The U.S. government has reached collaboration agreements with three more companies in the ongoing effort to create rapid COVID-19 diagnostic tests and fill the divide between demand and supply.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is involved in all three cases. It... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced this week that $100 million would be given to U.S. healthcare systems to help handle a continuing surge in COVID-19 patients at nationwide hospitals.
The $100... Read More »
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has formed partnerships with the manufacturing and biotech industries to increase the state's supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies to battle the coronavirus.
The partnerships with the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) and the... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) is seeking more information from Trump administration officials on the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical equipment and supplies available in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS).
The Federal Emergency Management... Read More »
Merck & Co. officials said the firm has provided 500,000 personal protective masks to New York City as part of efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak.
“COVID-19 is a generational challenge to the global community,” Merck Chairman and CEO Kenneth C. Frazier said. “At Merck, we embrace our... Read More »
