Emerging Infectious Diseases
Researchers with the U.S. Army Futures Command are developing alternative ways to measure COVID-19 antibody levels that are faster, easier, and less expensive.
Their work revolves around finding alternatives to measuring virus neutralization, or VN, titers. This process is the gold standard of... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a major medical breakthrough this week, approving Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to produce Inmazeb, the first treatment for Ebola virus infections to reach that point.
Inmazeb is a mix of three monoclonal antibodies, which work by targeting the... Read More »
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) launched a study to determine whether certain approved therapies or investigational drugs show promise against COVID-19.
The ACTIV-5 Big Effect Trial is being conducted in partnership with the National Institutes of Health’s... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and David Schweikert (R-CA) commended the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) for establishing a research initiative to treat and prevent Valley Fever.
The NIAID recently issued a notice of funding opportunity to establish a... Read More »
Sen. Susan Collins (D-ME) recently addressed the new $25 million LymeX initiative, which was announced this week in partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Stephen and Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
LymeX is the largest public-private partnership to combat Lyme... Read More »
A $481 million award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Department of Defense (DoD) this week will help Cue Health, Inc. expand the production capacity of a cartridge-based point-of-care molecular test for COVID-19.
With the fund injection, Cue aims to... Read More »
Massachusetts-based Cytiva will partner with the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) to expand its manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccine components and aid the federal Operation Warp Speed.
Operation Warp Speed is focused on bending U.S.-based... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week issued guidance to provide sponsors, or vaccine makers, with information on requesting an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccines.
The October guidance, which complements June guidance issued by the agency, specifically... Read More »
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) announced greater collaboration with AstraZeneca last week, specifically aimed at the late-stage development and manufacturing of its COVID-19 treatment, AZD7442.
AZD7442 is a drug cocktail made up of two monoclonal... Read More »
At the virtual LymeMIND conference last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation announced they would partner on a $25 million endeavor known as the LymeX Innovation Accelerator.
LymeX will be the largest Lyme disease-focused... Read More »
Under a new partnership, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will collaborate with Current Health to develop an algorithm based on a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved wearable monitor to predict the need for COVID-19 hospitalization.
By forecasting the... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is one of four companies collaborating to provide hyperimmune globulin products for a new federal clinical trial that will test the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a combination treatment regimen for COVID-19.
The regimen consists of the antiviral remdesivir plus... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bill that would give the president the authority to sanction foreign nations that try to steal American research on COVID-19.
The Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act authorizes sanctions that would specifically target a... Read More »
Lawmakers and public health officials, along with officials from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, have launched the Capitol Hill Steering Committee on Pandemic Preparedness & Health Security.
This nonpartisan group will convene educational... Read More »
Recent news that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had overruled the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow COVID-19 lab-developed tests to come to market without FDA review was met by major warnings from House Democrats this week.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar,... Read More »
A new test being developed by molecular diagnostics company Cepheid gained support from federal agencies this week, on the promise that it could become a one-stop-shop for diagnosing COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
Support is coming from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority... Read More »
Biological materials management and standards organization ATCC has secured a potential 10-year, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
The agreement, which possesses a ceiling value of $250 million,... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel, seeking continued immunization efforts.
Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Tina... Read More »
Over the course of three years, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will pay approximately $22 million to Vaxxas to fund phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S. and Australia for a high-density microarray patch capable of administering vaccines needle-free.
This comes... Read More »
A joint effort between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) brought $98.35 million to COVID-19 testing efforts this week, as part of six contracts awarded under the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative.
The... Read More »
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) -- a global non-profit dedicated to antibacterial research – is awarding up to $2.5 million to GangaGen Biotechnologies to develop novel antibacterial proteins.
GangaGen, based in Bangalore, India, will develop... Read More »
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers maintain they have developed a means of increasing primary SARS-CoV-2 virus testing sensitivity to help identify those who are asymptomatic.
Findings published in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry outlined a mathematical... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has partnered with Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. to develop a new monoclonal antibody therapeutic for all seven major types of Botulinum Neurotoxin.
Botulinum is an incredibly lethal substance responsible for botulism, though it... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) hosted a special session of its Executive Board this week, providing an opportunity for discussion and review with Member States and seeking their guidance regarding strategic response efforts for COVID-19.
While President Donald Trump announced earlier this... Read More »
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged individual and cooperative efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. State Department to counter biological threats around the world, prompting lawmakers to reevaluate the dangers that infectious disease outbreaks pose to U.S. national... Read More »
Following three successful clinical trials, Veklury (remdesivir) is now available for hospital purchase directly from its distributor, Gilead Sciences, ending the government’s distribution role.
The move follows five months during which the U.S. government managed allocation and distribution... Read More »
With an initial five laboratories, the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has launched a network of labs worldwide, collectively focused on helping COVID-19 vaccine developers uniformly evaluate and identify successful candidates.
By centralizing, the hope is to assess and... Read More »
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has selected Tufts University to spearhead a $100 million program to assess and address zoonotic viral disease threats such as SARS-CoV-2.
The effort would target spillover from animals to humans to reduce the risk of infection,... Read More »
As part of a community-focused move, particularly among schools, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and The Rockefeller Foundation have agreed to identify and share effective approaches for using rapid point-of-care antigen tests to screen for COVID-19.
The pilot... Read More »
A pair of investigational drugs targeting antibiotic-resistant infections will receive nearly $20 million in initial funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support phase two and three clinical trials and other efforts to reach U.S. Food and Drug... Read More »
The United Nations reported a major milestone this week for the global Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator initiative, collecting nearly $1 billion in new financing to guarantee tests, treatment and vaccines for COVID-19.
The ACT Accelerator is a joint effort by the World Health... Read More »
The Denver Health and Hospital Authority signed a $3 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to demonstrate the effectiveness of a Regional Disaster Health Response System... Read More »
A phase one trial of a COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Moderna, Inc. brought positive results, triggering strong immune responses among older volunteers while proving well-tolerated.
According to a report published this... Read More »
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA) are among a group of lawmakers urging congressional leadership to include a six-month extension for states and local governments to spend their funding allocations provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in... Read More »
The federal government began its rollout of the Abbott BinaxNOW Ag Card rapid COVID-19 test to states this week with the announcement of a national distribution plan meant to support K-12 schools, higher education, critical infrastructure, first responders, and others as needed.
The test is... Read More »
