Emerging Infectious Diseases
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for convalescent plasma as a treatment for COVID-19 among hospitalized patients this week, determining that its known and potential benefits outweigh any risks.
Convalescent plasma is made using the blood of... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Greg Walden (R-OR) finalized a report that provides recommendations for addressing a possible second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The third and final installment of their report – called “Second Wave Preparedness Project” -- focuses on... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week the cancellation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements on premarket reviews for lab-developed tests linked to COVID-19.
Pitching the change as one targeting unnecessary policies and increasing flexibility in... Read More »
Every county in the United States was scoured for COVID-19 hotspots in a recent study released by University of Utah geographers, providing localized data to track infection clusters and inform local public health policies.
Through space-time statistics, the researchers determined geographic... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) is among 60 Members of Congress in calling on the Trump Administration to develop a COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan that prioritizes health equity.
The lawmakers are urging Alex Azar, the Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary, to take a strategic, public... Read More »
Roche Pharmaceuticals is teaming up with Regeneron to develop and distribute Regeneron’s COVID-19 investigational antiviral antibody combination.
The treatment, known as REGN-COV2, is being developed as a treatment option for people already experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. It also has the... Read More »
A group of lawmakers forwarded correspondence this week to congressional leaders, encouraging cybersecurity funding support in the next COVID-19 aid package.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined eight Senate colleagues detailing how cybercriminals have launched campaigns against healthcare... Read More »
A new, interim report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security released this week showcases a path to ethical allocation and distribution of an eventual COVID-19 vaccine, meant to help facilitate those early days after it is first authorized for use.
The Interim Framework for COVID-19... Read More »
In its latest anti-COVID-19 effort, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to LumiraDx UK Ltd’s SARS-CoV-2 Ag Test, a flexible, scalable, low cost antigen test that works directly off of nasal swab specimens.
The test is meant for use within the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) issued a call for candidates to submit technologies for a non-invasive febrile temperature screening of COVID-19 to be included in an upcoming market study.
All interested vendors, manufacturers, and... Read More »
As Congress continues to discuss future COVID-19 relief legislation, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME), along with 24 other senators, called on Senate leadership this week to include $15.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in any relief package.
This, the... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced a bill designed to promote the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the United States.
Specifically, the Make PPE in America Act would require the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to issue long-term contracts for... Read More »
Plasma Technologies of Charleston, S.C., signed an agreement with the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) to develop a process to produce higher-yielding anti-COVID-19 immune serum for scale-up and manufacturing.
A higher yield hyperimmune serum would be an... Read More »
Scientists from the University of Illinois and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) have designed and tested a decoy protein capable of tricking SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- and could potentially lead to a treatment.
Their results,... Read More »
As part of its communal effort to see a potential COVID-19 vaccine fairly manufactured and distributed throughout the world by the end of 2021, the COVAX facility has put out a call for civil society and community organizations (CSOs) to contribute.
COVAX is the brainchild of three... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved an amendment increasing Lyme disease research funding to a total of $20 million at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for fiscal year 2021.
The amendment, authored by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), boosts Lyme disease research... Read More »
GeoVax Labs is working on a collaboration to develop vaccine candidates for both the Sudan ebolavirus and Marburg virus.
The collaboration is between GeoVax, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), and Battelle Memorial Institute. The partners will utilize the suite of preclinical... Read More »
University of Washington (UW) researchers have received a $33,000 grant to develop a model using local data to potentially aid in lowering COVID-19 infections in King County.
The UW delegation is one of nine global groups receiving Society for Medical Decision Making's COVID-19 Decision Modeling... Read More »
President Donald Trump has signed into law the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act (SAFR), which improves access to financial assistance public safety officer families lost to COVID-19.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the measure, which they said... Read More »
As part of the federal Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) recently announced a partnership with the McKesson Corporation, which will help distribute future COVID-19 vaccines and supplies.
The decision taps an existing Centers for... Read More »
A COVID-19 diagnostic created by Yale School of Public Health -- the SalivaDirect test -- became the first of its kind to gain a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) last week.
SalivaDirect approaches the processing of saliva samples in an entirely... Read More »
With billions in public funding being directed to coronavirus treatment and vaccine research, U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Mike Braun (R-IN) have introduced the Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) act to publicly account for where those dollars are going.
The bill would... Read More »
In an effort to expand SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- tests by millions per month, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has invested $6.5 million into two commercial diagnostic laboratories: Aegis Sciences Corporation and Sonic Healthcare USA.
These... Read More »
A new strategy created by Novateur Ventures for treating deadly COVID-19 induced hyperinflammatory response in multiple organs was released to the public this week through the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.
Co-authored by Ali Ardakani, founder and managing director of Novateur Ventures, and... Read More »
The global non-profit CARB-X awarded $2.91 million to German drug company Evotec SE this week, funding its efforts to develop an entirely new class of broad-spectrum antibiotics meant to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 700,000... Read More »
Reps. Andy Barr (R-KY) and Frank Lucas (R-OK) introduced a measure they said is designed to aid universities and research institutions in protecting COVID-19 research from China and Russia cyberattacks.
The legislation would grant universities and research institutions access to cybersecurity... Read More »
Insurance-exempt and cost-share free, a new bill introduced to the Senate this week would waive any costs for Americans in need of a COVID-19 vaccine, whenever one emerges.
Introduced by U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Michael Bennet (D-CO),... Read More »
Under a new agreement reached with Moderna, Inc., the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) have ordered 100 million doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine, a candidate for use against COVID-19.
That vaccine was co-developed by Moderna and the National Institute of... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) posted the COVID-19 Testing Plans from all states and localities for July through December on its website.
The State Testing Plans were developed in partnership with the federal government for each jurisdiction. The plans include details on... Read More »
With funding from the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) announced this week that it will undertake two phase 3 trials to determine the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2.
SARS-CoV-2 is the... Read More »
As Congress continues to grapple over the next COVID-19 relief package, more than two dozen senators wrote a letter to Senate leadership this week to request inclusion of $15.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Whatever form the final legislation takes, they reasoned, funds... Read More »
Legislation that would require the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the United States Marshals Service (USMS), and state governments to collect and report data about COVID-19 in correctional facilities was introduced in Congress.
Prisons and jails have become hotspots for the spread of COVID-19,... Read More »
Three lawmakers have launched the Pandemic Preparedness Caucus, a coalition of lawmakers they said would work to advance policy solutions to challenges presented by COVID-19 and future public health emergencies.
Reps. Troy Balderson (R-OH) and Cindy Axne (D-IA) said the caucus would focus on... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is taking a new look at a severe complication of COVID-19 that affects a small percentage of children -- Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) -- through the possibility of a $20 million award for research proposals.
“We urgently need... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) struck a deal with the Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which is part of Johnson & Johnson, to demonstrate large-scale manufacturing and delivery of the company's COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
As part of the agreement,... Read More »
