Biological
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) produced a policy briefing on Monday highlighting preparedness measures to minimize the risk of Zika virus spreading in continental Europe.
The briefing is primarily to protect pregnant women and those who wish to become pregnant,... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.’s Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM) received a task order on Monday valued at up to $21.9 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop and manufacture a Zika vaccine.
Three cGMP lots... 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 Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) assisted the United States Armed Forces this month in protecting warfighters from exposure to chemical agents that could contaminate the coatings of contemporary combat vehicles.
ECBC researchers who specialize in material decontamination learned... 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 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 »
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) exercised an option on Wednesday for the supply of 171,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic’s Imvamune smallpox vaccine to the national stockpile at a total value of up to $7.7 million.
Imvamune is a non-replicating smallpox vaccine that is being stockpiled... 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 Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority (BARDA) recently said that it is anticipating a threat posed by the bacterial gene mcr-1, which confers resistance to the antibiotic colistin and was found in a bacterium isolated from a patient in the United States.
While the bacteria is... 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 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 »
The U.S. Army Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense awarded Battelle a $59 million contract on Monday for medical countermeasures to combat infectious diseases affecting warfighters and the general public.
The grant is part of Battelle’s OASIS contract mechanism,... Read More »
The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense on Wednesday applauded legislation advanced by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security to ensure that the U.S. is prepared for biological threats, including the Zika virus.
The National Biodefense Strategy Act of 2016, S. 2967, introduced by U.S. Sen.... Read More »
Avon Protection on Monday introduced new technology designed to combat chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats for first responders and other security-related officers.
One of the new products includes the Avon CSPARR, the newest generation of CBRN powered air purifying... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ordered a bulk supply of Bavarian Nordic’s non-replicating smallpox vaccine Imvamune on Friday.
Imvamune is being developed as a smallpox vaccine for... Read More »
The Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health held a hearing entitled “Examining H.R. 3299, Strengthening Public Health Response Act” on Thursday to examine legislation meant to better prepare the U.S. to fight biological threats.
The Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) on Monday agreed to sponsor a new point-of-care anthrax diagnostic test.
The 18-month, $2.5 million agreement is through ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a sponsored study on Tuesday that found that up to 99 percent of chemical contamination can be removed by carefully removing clothes and wiping skin with a paper towel or dry wipe.
The study was sponsored by HHS’s Office of the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Monday that one of the nation’s Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM) will support the development of NasoShield, a second-generation anthrax vaccine.
“Anthrax remains a material threat to... Read More »
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported on Monday that an experimental malaria vaccine protected a small number of healthy, malaria-naïve adults from infection for more than one year after immunization.
The... Read More »
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) on Friday exercised an option for RiVax, Soligenix, Inc.’s new heat-stable ricin vaccine.
Terms of the agreement are to advance the development of Soligenix’s thermostabilization technology, ThermoVax, combined with the... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) called for Congress on Monday to fully fund efforts to eradicate the emerging Zika virus.
Buchanan said that he supported an additional $1.9 billion in funding requested by the government to contain and eradicate the virus. His supports follows the rapid spread of... Read More »
A coalition of Congressional Republicans sent a letter on Thursday to the Obama administration pushing back against a plan to shift funding from the BioShield special reserve fund (SRF) to help combat the emerging Zika virus.
The coalition was led by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) said on Wednesday that it will support the collection of blood samples from people in the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico with confirmed Zika virus infections.
ASPR said... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation - the Promoting Resilience and Efficiency in Preparing for Attacks and Responding to Emergencies (PREPARE) Act, H.R. 3583 - on Tuesday that would enhance the U.S.’s disaster preparedness and response capabilities.
The legislation was... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced legislation on Friday that would fully fund the Obama administration’s $1.9 billion request aimed at counteracting the Zika virus.
“In Hawaii, the threat of the Zika virus remains a major public health concern, especially... Read More »
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a feature-length documentary on Friday entitled “Ebola in America: Epidemic of Fear,” based on the timeline of the Ebola crisis and how the United States responded to the virus.
The documentary contains interviews from those... Read More »
The U.S. is woefully underprepared for potential bioterrorist attacks or naturally occurring pandemics like the Zika virus, and the federal government must do more to partner with the private sector in order to combat those threats, U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) warned this week.
“The answers... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) introduced legislation on Thursday aimed at curbing the spread of Zika virus, which has already reached approximately 300 reported cases in the U.S.
As part of Curbelo’s proposed Zika Eradication and Good Government Act, H.R. 5031, the federal government would... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Wednesday that it is sponsoring a new broad spectrum antibiotic that could become the first of its kind to treat specific Gram-negative and Gram-positive infections.
The broad spectrum antibiotic is being looked at as a... Read More »
The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on Wednesday regarding strengthening oversight of high-containment laboratories.
“Sweeping improvements and policy changes only work if the policies are effective,” Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) said.... Read More »
A survey released on Wednesday by the Alliance for Biosecurity, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense and the Trust for America’s Health found that the American public is concerned about biosecurity threats and believes that the government should invest more in preparedness.
“The... Read More »
