News
Bill addresses hospital, CDC data collection
A trio of lawmakers have introduced a measure reversing the Trump administration’s directive regarding hospitals withholding coronavirus pandemic data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) said... Read More »
In primates, Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine provides strong protection after one dose
In pre-clinical data recently published in Nature, Johnson & Johnson’s lead vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, provoked strong antibody responses in non-human primates, subsequently blocking infection of their lungs. “We are excited to see these pre-clinical... Read More »Center for Health Security calls for changes in U.S. COVID-19 response in new report
As COVID-19 caused deaths in the United States have crossed 150,000, the Center for Health Security has released a report noting policy actions and data reporting needed at all levels of government to effectively turn the tide against the pandemic. “Unlike many countries in the world, the... Read More »
ATAC secures Air Force training pact
The Air Force has awarded a contract worth up to a combined $240 million to Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) for adversary air live training. Air Force officials said the award to ATAC, part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc., is via the Combat Air Forces (CAF) Contracted... Read More »
Lawmakers examine climate change security threats analysis
A pair of lawmakers recently released a requested Government Accountability Office (GAO) analysis regarding potential national security threats resulting from climate change impacts. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Jack Reed (D-RI) sought to examine climate change impact on defense contractors... Read More »
DOE, HHS, and VA join forces to create COVID-19 Insights Partnership
The Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are working together to share health data as well as research and expertise to aid in the fight against COVID-19. The initiative between these three government agencies is... Read More »
Curtiss-Wright secures Navy pact
The Curtiss-Wright Corp. has secured a U.S. Navy contract in excess of $220 million to support a series of naval defense platforms. The initiative includes providing propulsion valves, pumps and advanced instrumentation and control systems for the Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear powered attack... Read More »NIAID scientists report Moderna COVID-19 vaccine boosts immune responses in primate airways
A COVID-19 vaccine candidate -- mRNA-1273 -- produced by Moderna, Inc. and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) brought broad immune responses and protection to the upper and lower airways of nonhuman primates, NIAID scientists reported this week. After two doses of... Read More »
Infectious disease experts cite pros, cons of Senate GOP pandemic relief bill
A proposed COVID-19 appropriations bill released on Monday by U.S. Senate Republicans takes solid steps toward providing urgently needed relief and resources, but it also falls short of necessary responses, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the HIV Medicine... Read More »
Pfizer and BioNTech pick lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate for late stage trial
Following review of pre-clinical and phase 1/2 clinical trial data, Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have selected a single mRNA vaccine candidate from the BNT162 program for use against SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- in a global phase 2/3 safety and efficacy trial. Investigators... Read More »
HHS expands COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials said the agency has expanded its COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity via the Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM). The Texas A&M University System venue’s $265 million task order falls under an... Read More »
Late-stage trial of Moderna, NIAID COVID-19 vaccine gets underway
At sites across the United States, a phase 3 trial of the investigational vaccine mRNA-1273, jointly developed by Moderna, Inc. and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is set to enroll 30,000 volunteers for testing. Anyone 18 years of age and older, who does not... Read More »
DHS S&T seeking pandemic response, needs proposals
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) personnel said the agency is seeking global proposals addressing pandemic response, as well as current and future needs. The Emerging Needs: Covid-19 Response & Future Mitigation topic call was introduced via the... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions signs deal with AstraZeneca for manufacturing of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to provide contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services for large-scale manufacturing of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The $174 million deal runs through 2021. It follows an $87 million contract in June for... Read More »
FDA greenlights LabCorp test that can diagnose COVID-19 in people without symptoms
A LabCorp COVID-19 diagnostic test became the first of its kind to gain a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) last week, for its potential to diagnose COVID-19 infections in those without symptoms. An EUA was also granted to allow its use in pooled... Read More »
Lawmakers laud CFATS extension
A group of lawmakers are espousing the benefits of extending the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program for three years, noting the action secures chemical facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), James Lankford (R-OK), Tom Carper (D-DE) and other... Read More »
DHS conducts initial China Working Group session
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials recently conducted its initial China Working Group session as a means of addressing response to evolving threats posed by China. “The Chinese threat is intensifying at an alarming rate through CCP’s malign activity in the trade, cybersecurity,... Read More »
Hologic secures $7.6 million federal contract for production expansion of COVID-19 tests
Hologic will expand production of its custom sample collection and processing consumables used for COVID-19 tests as part of a $7.6 million investment from the United States Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD). The contract is "undefinitized," meaning its terms and... Read More »
GAO issues recommendation for DoD on ballistic missile defense system
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the Department of Defense (DoD) a recommendation regarding its annual Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) flight test plan. The GAO said the DOD’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director should ensure an independent assessment of the... Read More »Pall Corp. nets $4.9 million contract with DoD for ventilator filters
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a $4.9 million contact to the Pall Corp. last week for efforts to expand the domestic industrial base capacity for medical ventilator filters. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare a critical need for ventilators in the U.S., but over the... Read More »
Senate passes cybersecurity bolstering measure
A group of lawmakers are espousing the benefits of the Senate’s recent passage of a FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment designed to bolster cybersecurity. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Gary Peters (D-MI) said the amendment... Read More »
DHS lifts Trusted Traveler Program ban for New York residents
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will lift its ban on the Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) for New York residents. The ban, in place since February, was lifted after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature amended the law that prevents sharing of information to federal law... Read More »
California pushes for 300 million more protective masks in state stockpile by fall
California seeks to bolster its strategic stockpile of protective masks to guarantee the shortcomings exposed by the COVID-19 outbreak never happen again, and as part of that, the state has signed a new contract with BYD North America for 420 million masks. That order includes 120 million N-95... Read More »
NTI says progress on protecting nuclear facilities wanes
Progress on protecting nuclear materials and facilities against theft and sabotage has slowed significantly over the past two years, the Nuclear Threat Initiativeʻs 2020 NTI Nuclear Security Index has found. The decline in the rate of improvement to national regulatory structures and the global... Read More »
Measure advocates domestic PPE manufacturing
A trio of lawmakers have introduced a measure they said decreases dependence on foreign countries for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare providers. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) said the U.S. MADE Act of 2020 lessens domestic... Read More »
NIH presses for 6 million daily COVID-19 testing capacity by year’s end
Scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a framework in the New England Journal of Medicine this week for efforts to increase the number, quality and type of daily tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to 6 million by the end of 2020. This has taken the... Read More »
Senate NDAA helps CISA warn critical infrastructure computer systems of cyberattacks
The U.S. Senate’s 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes legislation that would help the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warn the owners and operators of critical infrastructure computer systems that it is vulnerable to cyberattacks. The bill gives... Read More »
Bavarian Nordic to license AdaptVac’s coronavirus vaccine for 4 million euros
A new agreement reached between Bavarian Nordic A/S and AdaptVac for 4 million euros upfront will allow Bavarian to license AdaptVac’s capsid virus like particle (cVLP) technology for coronaviruses. Of particular note here is that the agreement gives Bavarian global commercialization rights to... Read More »
Officials laud Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards extension
The House of Representatives’ recent unanimous vote to extend the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program (CFATS) has garnered plaudits from lawmakers and chemical industry organizations. CFATS is the nation’s first regulatory program focusing specifically on security at high-risk... Read More »
Lawmakers tout NDAA House passage
A pair of lawmakers are espousing the benefits of the House of Representatives’ passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY21. Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Adam Smith (D-WA), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, offered statements regarding the... Read More »National Testing Implementation Forum to gather input on COVID-19 in the U.S.
A new program -- the National Testing Implementation Forum -- announced by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week will gather input from private stakeholders across the U.S. to inform federal testing and diagnostics efforts for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes... Read More »
CEPI’s call for COVID-19 vaccine proposals seeks doses capable of 12-18 month turnaround
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) has extended a call for proposals on COVID-19 vaccines until September, pushing for licensure, efficacy and safety in quick order: a timeframe of just 12-18 months. The coalition is working to guarantee that manufacturing capabilities and capacities... Read More »
Justice Department charges two Chinese hackers with stealing US research
A federal grand jury in Spokane, Wash., indicted two hackers from the People’s Republic of China for alleged cyberattacks on hundreds of computer systems of companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the United States and abroad. Officials alleged the global... Read More »
U.S. strikes $1.95 billion deal with Pfizer, BioNTech for COVID-19 vaccine candidate
Up to 600 million doses of a vaccine candidate produced by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech could be acquired by the United States government under a deal penned this week. All of this would be conditional on the vaccine’s successful manufacture and either Emergency Use Authorization or licensure... Read More »