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Under a new agreement with the European Commission, Sanofi and GSK will provide up to 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union in exchange for manufacturing scale-up support.
The vaccine in question is based on a mix of Sanofi’s recombinant protein-based technology --... Read More »
More than 90 organizations representing scientists, physicians, health providers, as well as patients and medical advocates are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ensure that reviews of COVID-19 vaccine candidates meet all regulatory standards prior to authorization.
“While we are... Read More »
Officials representing the engineering and project management firm Bechtel said its Pueblo Team safely eliminated nearly 300,000 155mm chemical weapons projectiles stored at the Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.
The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) team executed the... Read More »
Eli Lilly and Company announced a new collaboration with Amgen last week that will allow a significant increase in supply capacity and scaling of production of its potential COVID-19 therapies.
The news came a mere day after Lilly announced that proof of concept data from its BLAZE-1 clinical... Read More »
Federal agencies have partnered with Ology Bioservices to expand the capacity for filling and finishing vials for COVID-19 vaccines and drugs in the United States.
The joint effort includes the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Department of Defense’s Joint... Read More »
Global leaders gather for a virtual session of the 75th United Nations General Assembly this month, and as proceedings got underway, the World Health Organization (WHO) took the opportunity to push for three actions it deems key to the collective future.
Foremost among these concerns a weight on... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is looking to innovate in terms of COVID-19 tools, and as a result, has awarded seven contracts to a mix of companies and academic institutions for things like smartphone apps, wearable devices, and software.
These technologies could aid in several... Read More »
House Republican leaders are seeking information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how it plans to manage COVID-19 response efforts in addition to the flu and other respiratory issues this season.
“We share your concerns about the unprecedented convergence of two... Read More »
With the development of the drug ganaxolone (GNX), Marinus Pharmaceuticals and BARDA hope to create an anticonvulsant capable of halting damaging seizures in their tracks, even those caused by deadly nerve agents like the odorless, colorless liquid, Sarin.
Some seizures have proven resilient to... Read More »
Phase three trials have resumed for the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, AZD1222, after pausing for safety concerns raised when an enrollee came down with an unexplained illness that was later determined to be unrelated to the experimental vaccine.
One of the leading candidates in the... Read More »
The development of a diagnostic tool for assessing, diagnosing, reporting, and tracking COVID-19 patients by 98point6 is now being supported by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
The tool, originally used to treat and track influenza infections, also utilizes a... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) personnel recently partnered with the Colorado Rockies, as well as state, local, and federal authorities in a safety initiative.
Officials recently outlined a virtual tabletop exercise reviewing... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation last week seeking to provide $118.9 million in funding for the organization and strengthen global COVID-19 vaccine efforts.
The funds provided under the Abiding by U.S. Commitments Act would be a continuation of dues the... Read More »
A new report says investment in data and artificial intelligence (AI) is needed to drive the health system improvements needed to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study – called Reimagining Global Health through Artificial Intelligence: The Roadmap to AI Maturity -- was... Read More »
International Air Transport Association (IATA) officials maintain governments should initiate planning with the industry to ensure preparedness when COVID-19 vaccines are approved and ready for distribution.
“Safely delivering COVID-19 vaccines will be the mission of the century for the... Read More »
A top COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was forced to halt phase 3 trials this week after a volunteer became ill, signaling an adverse reaction that could delay the effort at immunization development.
The pause was announced as a standard review of... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) issued guidance for the clinical treatment of three of the most common drug-resistant pathogens.
While antibiotics save lives, the bacteria and other microbes can evolve in ways that enable them to resist a drug’s intended effect. Misuse or... Read More »
The Air Force has awarded a $13.3 billion contract to Northrop Grumman Corporation to modernize the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system via the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program.
The scope of work would be based on the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD)... Read More »
Amid fears of political pressures to rush a vaccine for COVID-19, nine CEOs of biopharmaceutical companies working on these candidates have signed a pledge to uphold the scientific process and safety in any development.
The companies include AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Johnson &... Read More »
Thanks to its global manufacturing consortium, biotechnology company INOVIO plans to manufacture 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, INO-4800, in 2021.
The latest to join the consortium was Thermo Fisher Scientific earlier this week, which signed a letter of intent on the... Read More »
The University of Chicago Medicine is conducting a clinical trial to study the potential of an antibody treatment for COVID-19.
For the trial, called BLAZE-1, the University of Chicago is recruiting 22 participants to be treated with the LY-CoV555 antibody developed by Eli Lilly and Company in... Read More »
Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) has joined a group of health industry organizations in launching the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) to address health, safety, and the economy.
“Unfortunately, misinformation and conflicting messages about COVID-19 have confused the... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has awarded a $13.5M contract to Smiths Detection to provide HCVT advanced X-ray scanners for use at railway checkpoints.
The scanners would be used at northern and southern border checkpoints, with initial deliveries... Read More »
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) has forwarded correspondence to eight potential COVID-19 vaccine providers, inquiring about maintaining scientific and data-based standards in the wake of possible political pressure.
Durbin sent letters to Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sanofi and... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will host a phase three trial of the vaccine candidate AZD1222, developed by AstraZeneca, at five locations selected by Operation Warp Speed.
For the trial, the selected sites include Naval Medical Center San Diego, Joint Base San Antonio Brooke Army Medical... Read More »
Sanofi and GSK began a phase 1/2 clinical trial of their jointly developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate last week, opening enrollment for 440 participants after pre-clinical studies show promising positive safety and immunogenicity.
The vaccine is based on the recombinant protein-based technology... Read More »
The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) issued a statement about the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, any poisoning of an individual through the use of a nerve agent is considered a use of... Read More »
A Center for American Progress (CAP) report maintains there are lessons to be learned regarding 2016 election interference and addresses steps to shield future votes from such actions.
“America was caught off guard in 2016, but there are no excuses in future elections,” said James Lamond,... Read More »
The intravenously administered drug Kevzara will no longer be investigated as a potential COVID-19 treatment, Sanofi confirmed this week, after it failed to meet either its primary or secondary goals during a phase 3 trial among severely and critically ill patients.
Hundreds were tested with the... Read More »
A study run by collaborators from Imperial College London and Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre has found that the over the counter steroid hydrocortisone improves recovery changes among patients critically ill with COVID-19.
"The studies published today show that we now have more... Read More »
The virus that causes COVID-19 has mutated minimally since December 2019, according to a study by a team of scientists from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
The research team arrived at this conclusion after conducting a genetic analysis of sequences from more than 27,000 individuals... Read More »
Roche announced this week plans to launch a SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test capable of 15-minute turnarounds for markets accepting the CE Mark and file for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Meant for use in point of care settings -- which allow... Read More »
A contract between Royal Philips and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would have brought 43,000 bundled EV300 ventilator configurations to the Strategic National Stockpile will be terminated after fulfillment of just 12,300 this month.
“To date, we have delivered on... Read More »
Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline dosed the first patient last week in a phase 2/3 study with its COVID-19 treatment.
The treatment, VIR-7831, is a fully human anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody, for the early treatment of COVID-19 in patients who are at high risk of hospitalization.... Read More »
Lockheed Martin has secured a contract with the U.S. Army to produce High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and associated hardware, with delivery slated for the end of 2022.
HIMARS is a lightweight mobile launcher, transportable via C-130 and larger aircraft for rapid... Read More »
