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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began a series of actions this week designed to combat the emerging threat of Zika virus and to mitigate its spread throughout the U.S. and the world.
The FDA began with important steps to help protect the safety of the blood supply. One of the first... Read More »
The European Parliament has taken an important step toward protecting victims of potential biological, chemical and other types of terrorist attacks in the European Union with its new draft counterterrorism directive that is being negotiated this week.
The European Parliament’s Civil... Read More »
The European Commission launched a privacy shield for the United States and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday to strengthen protection for transatlantic data flows.
The framework of the project protects the fundamental rights of anyone in the EU whose personal data is transferred to the United... Read More »
Committee on Small Business Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH) recently chaired a full committee hearing on the threat of cyber attacks on small businesses in the U.S.
“According to a recent study, over 70 percent of cyber attacks occur in businesses with fewer than 100 employees,” Chabot said at... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) announced its support on Thursday for a bill authored by U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) that aims to control the spread of Zika virus.
The Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (SMASH) Act aims strengthen the nation’s ability to... Read More »
The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) recently announced that is has developed a decontamination spray that enables soldiers at the unit level to decontaminate vehicle surfaces in the field immediately after exposure to a chemical warfare agent and continue with their mission.
The... Read More »
The European Commission launched a new public-private partnership on cybersecurity on Tuesday that is expected to trigger $1.9 billion of investment by 2020.
The partnership is part of a series of a new initiatives to better equip Europe against cyber attacks and to strengthen the... Read More »
An independent panel of public health, emergency response and communication experts issued a report on Friday on the Ebola epidemic of 2014, identifying recommendations to improve the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) response to urgent public health threats.
Concerns... Read More »
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) moved forward on Friday with its preparations for a public-private partnership to deploy and operate a nationwide public safety broadband network.
During their meeting in Chicago, the FirstNet board of directors provided strategic guidance for... Read More »
A coalition of research institutions published a report in the Clinical Infectious Disease Journal on Wednesday that analyzed the immune responses of Ebola patients treated in the United States.
The coalition includes the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), the Emory University School... Read More »
With the goal of improving U.S. threat preparedness, U.S. Rep. Daniel Donovan (R-NY), who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, recently introduced legislation to help fight potential terror attacks in urban areas and in cyberspace.
Donovan recently introduced the Terrorist Asset... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Tuesday that found that the National Guard, part of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), has made progress incorporating the Homeland Response Force (HRF) into the chemical, biological radiological and nuclear (CBRN) response... Read More »
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Monday described how combining engineered anthrax toxin proteins and existing chemotherapy drugs could potentially yield a therapy to reduce or eliminate cancerous tumors.
Data was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY), along with other House members, was blocked by the Cuban government last week from entering the country to assess security risks associated with resuming air travel between the United States and Cuba.
The Cuban government signed an accord on Feb. 16 that will allow... Read More »
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet held a hearing on Tuesday to examine the progress of FirstNet, the first nationwide, high-speed network dedicated to public safety.
Chairman of the Subcommittee... Read More »
The United States Senate voted 58-38 on Wednesday to reject an amendment that would enable the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to more quickly obtain the electronic transaction records of suspected terrorists.
The amendment was offered by U.S. Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and John McCain... Read More »
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced legislation on Wednesday to protect critical energy infrastructure from potentially catastrophic cyber attacks.
The Securing Energy Infrastructure Act of 2016 was co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM)... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with the scientific research organization Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, began a multi-country study on Tuesday to evaluate the magnitude of the health risks that Zika virus infection poses on pregnant women and their developing fetuses and infants.... Read More »
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates one of the busiest networks of aviation, ground, rail and seaport facilities in the nation, is preparing to deliver a new counter-terrorism and personal safety-training program for its employees.
“We always tell people, if you see... Read More »
The European Union (EU) Civil Liberties Committee endorsed a plan by the EU Commission on Tuesday that will systematically check all EU citizens entering or leaving the EU against wide and national security databases.
The plan, authored by Monica Macovei and approved by a vote of 48-6, also... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two solicitation notices on Tuesday related to the development and procurement of anthrax vaccines for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), a move that Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., said shows the government’s intent to maintain an... Read More »
A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on Saturday found that the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) nuclear smuggling detection and deterrence (NSDD) program is addressing challenges but should improve its overall plan.
The full GAO report examined... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed its Pre-Approval Inspection (PAI) of Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.’s Building 55 for the large-scale manufacturing of BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed).
Following the PAI’s conclusion, Emergent BioSolutions received a No Action Indicated... Read More »
Legislation authored by U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) was included in a comprehensive bill package on Friday aimed at combating domestic terrorism in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting.
The Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act, H.R. 5471, will seek to streamline domestic... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) released data from a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Wednesday that shows that approximately 91 percent of known or suspected terrorists passed a background check to purchase a firearm or explosives between Feb. 2004 and Dec. 2015.
The GAO... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) seeking approval for the manufacture of BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed) at the company’s Building 55 was accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week.
“Emergent’s... Read More »
The House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing on Tuesday concerning the U.S. public health response to antibiotic resistant bacteria, otherwise known as “superbugs.”
The hearing was initiated after the discovery of the MCR-1 gene in a Pennsylvania woman who contracted... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted orphan drug status to Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., on Wednesday for BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed) for post-exposure prophylaxis of anthrax disease from suspected or confirmed exposure to Bacillus anthraces.
BioThrax is the only... Read More »
The Alliance for Biosecurity released the names of recipients of the 2016 Congressional Biosecurity Champion Awards on Monday
The winners include U.S. Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), along with U.S. Reps. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Diana... Read More »
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), along with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI), unveiled the House Republicans’ blueprint for security at home and abroad on Friday.
The blueprint is part of the House GOP’s “A Better Way” initiative, which outlines ideas to... Read More »
Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) researchers took to the New York City subway system last month to aid in conducting a series of tests on how a biological agent, such as anthrax, might disperse throughout the rapid transit system as a result of a bioterrorism attack or accidental release.... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed bipartisan legislation on Tuesday to address growing Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) wait times at the nation’s airports.
The Checkpoint Optimization and Efficiency Act of 2016, authored by U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY), seeks to... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Tuesday that found that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has taken steps intended to improve the security effectiveness of expedited passenger screening since GAO last reported on it in Dec. 2014.
Steps the agency... Read More »
The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a Health Subcommittee markup on Tuesday, discussing the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act, H.R. 3299.
"There is a clear role for the federal government to play in creating medical countermeasures and contributing to our nation's... Read More »
The Alliance for Biosecurity lauded the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday for recommending sustained funding in its FY 2017 appropriations bill for some essential medical countermeasures programs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
The... Read More »
