Biological
The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is creating a process to identify potential chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats from non-state actors.
The project, called Advancing U.S. CWMD/CWMT Capabilities in Support of the... Read More »
The Council of Europe Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDCT) issued a statement on the importance of a coordinated response to bioterrorism.
The committee said that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of modern societies to viral infections. The intentional use of a pathogen or... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing the process of developing a COVID-19 vaccine.
The United States government is funding multiple efforts to develop vaccines. GAO said it is an expensive, lengthy process that involves a series of steps first to identify... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Jason Crow (D-CO) introduced a bill on May 22 that would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to clarify the national biodefense strategy and implementation plan.
The bill, called the RASPP Act (H.B. 6966), follows a Government Accountability... Read More »
Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a teleconference forum former director of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to improve its readiness for events like COVID-19 pandemic.
The Strategic National Stockpile is a federal resource designed to supplement state and local... Read More »
A bipartisan group of Senators introduced May 15 legislation designed to strengthen the nation’s bioeconomy.
The Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2020 seeks to advance research and development, advance biomanufacturing, develop the future bioeconomy workforce, and support various... Read More »
Top U.S. health officials testified before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Tuesday, discussing the potential for future response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for and capabilities of testing, and the dangers of reopening workplaces and schools too... Read More »
The United States’ preparedness and response capabilities have buckled under the stress of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and proactive work is needed to meet the next infectious disease before it strikes, said experts during the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense May 8 virtual... Read More »
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed smart, breathable fabric designed to protect against biological and chemical warfare agents.
The material could be used by healthcare workers and first responders in clinical and medical settings as well as military... Read More »
Several Congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are urging federal government officials to take action on the recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the problem of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when germs develop the ability... Read More »
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense is poised to assist a national COVID-19 commission that would be created under legislation introduced earlier this month.
Specifically, recommendations and pandemic plans issued by the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense would be reviewed and evaluated by... Read More »
From flooding to wildfires to the novel coronavirus, health emergencies have dominated and redefined public life in the last year. Experts say that keeping Americans safe from these disasters requires a well-funded public health system focused on three key areas: prevention, preparedness, and... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. said on Thursday it will provide contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services to support Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to develop a vaccine candidate for COVID-19.
The vaccine candidate leverages the AdVac and PER.C6 technologies from the Janssen... Read More »
The spread of coronavirus in the United States has unveiled various levels of inequalities in society, including between major cities with more robust hospital systems and rural communities with less access to resources.
The COVID-19: A Frontline Guide for Local Decision-Makers, a global... Read More »
Congressional legislators on Friday introduced two bipartisan bills in the U.S. House of Representatives to bolster the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), the nation’s repository of antibiotics, vaccines and other critical medical supplies that has been strained by the current coronavirus... Read More »
A group of Congressional lawmakers are calling on leaders of the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the World Organization for Animal Health to ban live wildlife markets and international trade of live wildlife.
Live wildlife markets, also known as “wet” markets, create a... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation designed to protect first responders and frontline workers in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID–19 Workers First Protection Act (S. 3584) directs the Department of Labor (DOL) to issue an emergency temporary... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded roughly $1.3 billion to health centers to help them respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
The funding – through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – went to 1,387 different health centers. The awards may be... Read More »
Teaming up with the United States government, health technology provider Royal Philips has agreed to double the production of hospital ventilators at its U.S. manufacturing sites by May and push for a four-fold increase by the third quarter.
These supplies would then be usable in both the U.S.... Read More »
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials reached an agreement with DuPont to obtain Tyvek suits for frontline healthcare workers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DuPont will deliver 450,000 Tyvek suits, via FedEx, to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) from its Hanoi,... Read More »
Mounting a rapid and effective response to emerging public health threats is a continuing challenge, which will only become more important in an increasingly connected world, says Dr. Richard Welch, vice president and head of development services at Emergent BioSolutions Inc., a global life... Read More »
Sarah Lofgren’s voice had a tinge of excitement when she explained why the bright green dots on one scientific slide disappeared on the next. The co-investigator at the University of Minnesota Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine showed how SARS, or severe acute respiratory... 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 »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc., world-renowned as a bioterrorism expert, is also utilizing its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) status to help quash the coronavirus disease COVID-19.
“For 22 years, Emergent has focused on products and services that address serious public... Read More »
President Donald Trump on Friday declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency, a move that will allow the federal government to tap into billions of dollars in aid to help combat the spread of the virus.
The national emergency declaration will allow up to $50 billion in government... Read More »
Strategies including social distancing, telework and avoiding large crowds should be practiced by all Americans, including members of Congress, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, said top federal health officials during a reconvened hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Really sick... Read More »
Dr. Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), on Wednesday confirmed his duties as the top emergency preparedness official coordinating the COVID-19 coronavirus response from both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the federal... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, making it the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus.
Though WHO had already determined the novel coronavirus a matter of the highest risk globally, the new declaration ended weeks of questioning and... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories has joined forces with the Council on Strategic Risks to launch an initiative to make bioweapons obsolete.
The two organizations have released a report called “Making Bioweapons Obsolete: A Summary of Workshop Discussions. It makes recommendations for significantly... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. on Tuesday agreed to support both preclinical testing and phase 1 safety trials for a novel coronavirus vaccine candidate being developed by Novavax Inc., a clinical-stage vaccine company.
“We are pleased with our Novavax collaboration, which reflects Emergent’s... Read More »
Virologists still don’t know a lot about the coronavirus (COVID-19), but expect important facts surrounding length of incubation and repeat infections to be answered in the coming weeks as public and private institutions introduce widely available testing for the dangerous disease, a panel of... Read More »
The former director of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) told Homeland Preparedness News on Friday that Congress should go above and beyond requested supplemental funding to ensure the United States is more prepared to fight the coronavirus outbreak and other future threats.
“There is... Read More »
President Donald Trump signed into law an $8.3 billion emergency funding package on Friday aimed at combatting the spread of the coronavirus that has led to more than 3,000 deaths globally.
The legislation, H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act,... Read More »
U.S. House and Senate leaders reached an agreement on an $8.3 billion emergency supplemental appropriations package on Wednesday to fund the nation’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, including critical funding for vaccine research and development.
“Today Democrats and Republicans in... Read More »
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, charged Wednesday night with leading the federal government’s response to the coronavirus epidemic, has named a top AIDS expert to coordinate the response and clamped down on future outgoing coronavirus messaging by government health officials and... Read More »
