Emerging Infectious Diseases
A group of lawmakers recently introduced legislation designed to address healthcare industry personnel personal protective equipment shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) said the... Read More »
After displaying 95 percent efficacy in their COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Pfizer and BioNTeach have filed a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant them an emergency use authorization (EUA) that would allow its rollout next month.
High-risk populations will be the first... Read More »
Pennsylvania state officials are encouraging the poultry industry to expedite biosecurity practices in the wake of East Asia and Europe reporting Highly-Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases.
"Written biosecurity plans are good, but they are only effective when deliberately acted upon day in... Read More »
Lucira Health nabbed the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for an at-home COVID-19 testing kit from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week, opening up a new option for patients age 14 or older who health care providers suspect of having COVID-19.
The diagnostic is a... Read More »
As the world moves closer to one or more potential COVID-19 vaccines, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has formed a collaborative effort to monitor the emergence of new COVID-19 viral strains and evaluate any impacts they may have on those candidates.
Other coalition... Read More »
Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on BioSafety Level (BSL)-3 and Animal BSL (ABSL)-3 laboratory capacity to conduct animal model research for COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and... Read More »
A group of Senate Democratic recently urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to work with state and local officials to identify gaps in ultra-cold storage capability, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
This... Read More »
A partnership between the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) known as Operation Warp Speed has accelerated efforts to develop COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, but transparency is lacking, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said.
Typically, vaccine... Read More »
Distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States could be imperiled by President Donald Trump’s decision to fight a transition to the incoming administration under Joe Biden, a new report from U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) warned this week.
Peters, ranking member of the Homeland Security... Read More »
Officials from the nation’s leading health care organizations sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging his administration’s full cooperation in sharing critical COVID-19 information with the Biden transition team.
“As organizations representing the nation’s hospitals and health... Read More »
A SARS-CoV-2 antibody test conceived by DiaSorin Inc. will benefit from an expanded partnership between its creator and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the pair announced this week.
The enhanced immunoassay detects SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19... Read More »
With funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Inovio Pharmaceuticals signaled intentions to begin phase two of its Phase 2/3 clinical trial for INO-4800, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
"Initiation of our Phase 2 trial... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced that approximately $43 million in funding will be made available for New York City’s Office of Management and Budget to cover COVID-19 related expenses.
Specifically, this funding covers the cost of enhanced protective... Read More »
In an initial study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, a saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 antibody test from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was deemed highly accurate in its capabilities and capable of turning out results within mere hours.
"If our saliva-based assay's... Read More »
Data from the phase three trial of mRNA-1273, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, Inc., has shown promising results with a 94.5 percent efficacy rate among volunteers.
“This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is partnering with large chain pharmacies and networks of independent pharmacies and regional chains to maximize access to COVID-19 vaccines.
This effort will cover approximately 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, the... Read More »
Delegates at the World Health Organization’s virtual World Health Assembly approved a new road map for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) for 2021−2030.
The road map sets out global targets and actions to align the work of countries, partners, and stakeholders during the next decade. ... Read More »
A Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-supported COVID-19 treatment by AbCellera Biologics has gained emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week, representing a major success for all involved.
Specifically, the therapeutic... Read More »
A grant of up to $20 million was awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) this week to expand its portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines and address gaps in current development.
Significant gains have been made in development... Read More »
While Germany, South Korea, and Taiwan implemented aggressive testing strategies and infrastructure during the early spread of SARS-CoV-2, the United States failed to develop and distribute reliable diagnostic tests when the pandemic initially hit the country, according to a new report.
This... Read More »
Nearly 2,000 Marine recruits were put into a two-week quarantine before starting basic training, according to a study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Naval Medical Research Center, and despite this, asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 still occurred.
Published this... Read More »
A new article released this week from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and colleagues, laid out a clear call for COVID-19 treatments dedicated to cases of early infection, for their potential to speed recovery and bolster the... Read More »
In studying 98 million Americans, a Stanford and Northwestern University team of researchers has created a computer model to chart how COVID-19 infections spread through urban areas -- and it has already accurately predicted spread in 10 major cities.
"We built a computer model to analyze how... Read More »
U.S. Reps. TJ Cox (D-CA) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) are seeking information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a nationwide COVID-19 wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) surveillance program.
As coronavirus cases are rising across the United States, WBE is an... Read More »
Results of a clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown that the drug provides no clinical benefit to adults hospitalized with COVID-19, and no improved outcomes, though it did not cause harm.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical... Read More »
A neutralizing antibody developed by Eli Lilly and Company -- bamlanivimab --for use on COVID-19 earned emergency use authorization from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week, specifically for treating mild to moderate cases.
Now, the drug can be utilized on those 12... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will provide technical assistance on a Phase 3 clinical trial underway to evaluate the drug lenzilumab being developed by Humanigen.
The drug is designed to prevent or treat an immune hyper-response called a cytokine storm.... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the cPass SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit, which detects neutralizing antibodies from recent or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.
These are antibodies that bind to a specific part of a... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced last week that it will collaborate with Mesa Biotech, Inc. on its rapid combination test meant to diagnose and differentiate between SARS-CoV-2 – the virus behind COVID-19 – and influenza.
Known as Accula, the test... Read More »
Pfizer and BioNTech reported on Monday that their joint COVID-19 vaccine candidate is more than 90 percent effective at preventing infection among those without evidence of prior exposure.
“Today is a great day for science and humanity,” Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and CEO, said.... Read More »
In comments made to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week, major medical societies blasted efforts to change visa rules, citing concerns over limits the “arbitrary and disruptive” change would impose and pleading for exemptions for physicians.
Together, the societies -- which... Read More »
Seeking to address confusion over coverage requirements for COVID-19 testing due to new guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Republican senators wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar for clarification.
The writers, who included U.S. Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Rick Scott... Read More »
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) granted more than $8.1 million to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) this week to help it cover costs accrued by the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic after a federal disaster declaration in March.
In all, the funds... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has extended a partnership with Sichuan Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Clover) to include funding for a global phase 2/3 efficacy clinical trial and licensure of its S-Trimer COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
S-Trimer is a protein-based... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) signed a contract with McKesson Corp. to produce and distribute ancillary to help healthcare workers administering COVID-19 vaccines once they are approved.
The ancillary supply kits will be produced and distributed on behalf of the... Read More »
