Threats
BARDA reopens abstract submissions in search of repurposed therapeutics for DRIVe ReDIRECT program
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) reopened submissions for redeveloping therapeutics into medical countermeasures against chemical threats last week. Of interest are therapeutics already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or those in... Read More »
Mix and match of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster increases antibody, T-cell responses
Preliminary results from a Phase 2 mix and match trial of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster vaccine are in, and they determined that administered six months after a vaccination routine of BioNTech and Pfizer’s BNT162b2, both antibody and T-cell responses rise. The independent study,... Read More »
CEPI, Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp. to jointly fund booster trial combining MVC’s COVID-19 vaccine with others
As part of a trial co-funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp. (MVC), researchers will mix and match COVID-19 boosters focusing on combinations of MVC’s vaccine candidate and others. “As we strive to stay one step ahead of... Read More »
Gavi to invest $155.7M into malaria vaccine rollout for sub-Saharan Africa through 2025
Last week, the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, approved an initial investment of $155.7 million to support the introduction, acquisition, and delivery of malaria vaccines throughout eligible nations in sub-Saharan Africa between 2022 and 2025. The public-private health organization hopes... Read More »
Bipartisan Policy Center issues report on modernizing U.S. public healthcare systems
A new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center makes recommendations on modernizing the U.S. public healthcare systems in light of the challenges the country has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, Public health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System, outlines critical... Read More »
DHS details new surface transportation cybersecurity requirements
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has unveiled Security Directives to address surface transportation systems and associated infrastructure cybersecurity threats. “These new cybersecurity requirements and recommendations will... Read More »
Reps. Kinzinger, Eshoo tout House passage of cybersecurity measures
U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) commended House of Representatives colleagues for passing a pair of bills Kinzinger introduced that he said are designed to bolster cybersecurity. The American Cybersecurity Literacy Act (H.R. 4055) requires the National Telecommunications... Read More »
Reps. Pallone, Doyle praise House cybersecurity legislation passage
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) applauded the House of Representatives' passage of three cybersecurity bills. “The House came together to pass three critical bipartisan bills that aim to... Read More »
World Health Assembly to draft global agreement to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
This week, the World Health Assembly announced that it intends to jumpstart a process to draft and negotiate a global agreement to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The decision came with the ongoing -- and evolving -- COVID-19 pandemic firmly in mind and will utilize... Read More »
Soligenix vaccine for Sudan ebolavirus demonstrates 100 percent protection in primate testing
Results from non-human primate testing of a Soligenix, Inc.-developed Bivalent Thermostabilized Filovirus vaccine, released this week, suggested 100 percent protection provided against the Sudan ebolavirus among dosed non-human primates. The single vial vaccine is meant to target both the... Read More »
Former congresswoman, former FDA commissioner join Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
Former U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, a Republican who represented the 5th District of Indiana from 2013-2021, and former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Peggy Hamburg, who served as the agency’s 21st commissioner between 2009-2015, have joined the Bipartisan Commission on... Read More »
Advisory committee endorses Merck oral COVID antiviral, company presses for FDA emergency authorization
A 13-10 vote by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee (AMDAC) set the stage for recommending Emergency Use Authorization of the Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics oral COVID-19 antiviral molnupiravir this week. The narrow backing followed a... Read More »
INOVIO to rapidly test two COVID-19 vaccine candidates against, develop new candidate for Omicron variant
Moving quickly to address concerns raised by the Omicron COVID-19 variant, following its discovery last week, INOVIO announced it will evaluate two of its COVID-19 DNA vaccine candidates against the variant and has begun pre-clinical development of another specifically tailored to it. Omicron... Read More »
Northrop Grumman to produce Navy, German Air Force missiles
Northrop Grumman Corporation has secured a $153 million Navy contract to produce AGM-88E2 Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGM) for the Navy and German Air Force. “As threats continue to evolve, AARGM remains an affordable solution to continue protecting the Navy and our allies with... Read More »
Sens. Portman, Hagerty, King introduce NDAA amendment
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Angus King (I-ME) recently filed an FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment that seeks to enhance the key technologies permitting process concerning national security. The amendment focuses on the FAST-41 improved... Read More »
Oral antiviral molnupiravir reduces severe COVID-19 risks 30 percent in MOVe-OUT study
Results of a study on molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics for use against COVID-19, showed this week that the drug cuts the risk of hospitalization or death by approximately 3 percent. The trial of 1,433 participants focused on those... Read More »
Rep. Krishnamoorthi urges immediate expansion of U.S. vaccine aid in wake of Omicron emergence
As the world continues to realign its approach and expectations in the wake of the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in South Africa last week, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) took the opportunity to renew calls for expanding U.S. vaccine aid to other nations. “The emergence of... Read More »
Moderna announces booster candidate for Omicron COVID-19 variant and highlights ongoing studies
Moderna announced last week a strategy for addressing the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, including a new booster vaccine and studies of boosters that have already anticipated its mutations. The rushed strategy announcement came in the wake of closing borders and the World Health... Read More »
Bolster R&D for improved pandemic preparedness and response, say experts
Federal agencies, Congress and the White House must jointly foster improved research and development for pandemic preparedness and response, experts said during a recent webinar hosted by the Capitol Hill Steering Committee on Pandemic Preparedness & Health Security. “Over the last two... Read More »
WHO, MPP finalize agreement with Spanish National Research Council for first non-exclusive COVID-19 antibody test
The World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) recently reached a joint licensing agreement with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) for a non-exclusive COVID-19 serological antibody test. The CSIC-developed test, to be... Read More »
Maryland Gov. Hogan details Baltimore violent crime response
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced a series of initiatives he said seek to address violent crime in Baltimore City amid the city exceeding 300 homicides for the seventh consecutive year. "People are being shot nearly every single day in Baltimore City, and we all have an obligation to do... Read More »
NTI | bio report recommends strengthened international systems for pandemic assessment, response and risk reduction
In facing down a future of potential biological dangers, a new report from authors at NTI | bio recommended concrete action at the national and international level, from new oversight agencies to process overhauls and funding, to improve prevention and response. In “Strengthening Global... Read More »
Report: Progress still needed on health equity in Month 11 of COVID-19 vaccination
A new report from the CommuniVax Coalition has found that while progress has been made regarding equity in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, more work is needed. Led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Department of Anthropology at... Read More »
CEPI to expand COVID-19 vaccine testing network to assess countermeasures to other epidemic threats
Building on the success of its COVID-10 vaccine testing network to date, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced this week that it will expand its centralized testing capabilities to the development of vaccines for other epidemic and pandemic diseases. CEPI’s... Read More »
CISA, FBI encourage critical infrastructure protection vigilance CISA, FBI encourage critical infrastructure protection vigilance
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and FBI officials said the agencies are encouraging Americans to be aware of critical infrastructure security during the holiday season. Efforts are being intensified to disrupt the critical networks and systems belonging to organizations,... Read More »
Rep. Carter introduces bill to protect U.S. southern border
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) introduced a bill to secure the U.S. southern border. The Build Better Borders Act of 2021 would increase civil monetary penalties for illegally crossing the border to $450,000. It stipulates that funds collected from those fines be... Read More »
Lawmakers express National Security Council nuclear policy concerns
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the National Security Council to express concerns regarding nuclear policy. U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) joined U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Devin Nunes (R-CA) in sending the letter to... Read More »
Public health worker recruitment major focus of Senate’s new BIO Preparedness Workforce Act
With COVID-19 daily emphasizing how critical health care workers are to modern society, a collection of U.S. senators this week proposed a student loan repayment program to drive recruitment and retention in the field of public health. The BIO Preparedness Workforce Act was introduced by U.S.... Read More »
CISA issues Infrastructure Dependency Primer resource
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) personnel said the agency has issued an Infrastructure Dependency Primer (IDP) to aid state, local, tribal, and territorial planners in gaining infrastructure dependency insight. The IDP resource supplements CISA’s recently published... Read More »
Rep. Thompson praises Homeland Security provisions in Build Back Better Act
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, praised the Build Back Better Act on Friday, especially for its inclusion of $1.5 billion for investments at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The funding would improve the country’s cybersecurity... Read More »
Reintroduced Flu Vaccine Act would invest $1B into research for universal influenza vaccine
A bicameral effort from United States Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) rebirthed the Flu Vaccine Act last week, which proposes a $1 billion investment into the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research of a universal flu vaccine. Such a vaccine would theoretically... Read More »
FEMA collaborates with KIRO-AM to create more resilient emergency broadcast studio in Seattle
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and KIRO-AM 710 announced a joint upgrade effort last week to produce a modern emergency broadcast studio in Seattle focused on improved emergency alert systems. Deemed critical to the nation’s emergency alert and warning system, the KIRO-AM... Read More »
Bipartisan group introduces legislation to support pandemic preparedness workforce
A bipartisan group including U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AR) introduced legislation on Thursday that would bolster the country’s ability to respond to future public health emergencies. The Bolstering Infectious Outbreak... Read More »
CISA initiates chemical security enhancing program
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) officials are espousing the benefits of ChemLock, a newly initiated voluntary chemical security program. The endeavor is a voluntary program providing no-cost services and tools to chemical facilities to increase awareness of the risks... Read More »