Threats
WHO proposes 26 members for advisory group on the origins of novel pathogens
The World Health Organization (WHO) has whittled down a list of more than 700 applicants to 26 proposed members to act as expert advisors on its new Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO). These experts will advise WHO as it develops a global framework for defining... Read More »Lawmakers urge expanded global COVID-19 vaccine access, review of Moderna-HHS contract
In a letter to high-ranking members of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 response efforts, three Democratic senators and representatives this week urged a cautious review of the United States Health and Human Services (HHS) contract with Moderna, Inc. and called for efforts to expand global... Read More »
Valley Fever bill reintroduced in House
U.S. Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) co-chairs of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force joined Reps. Karen Bass (D-CA) and Tom O’Halleran (R-AZ) to introduce a bipartisan bill combating Valley Fever Wednesday. Valley Fever is an infection caused by inhaling spores... Read More »
COVAX to purchase 176.5 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in 2022
Through exercise of an option with Moderna, Inc., Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance will purchase another 176.5 million doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine in an effort to help low income countries over the course of the next year, through the COVAX Facility. With this purchase, COVAX will have... Read More »
Cybersecurity bills advance in Senate
Two cybersecurity bills from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) have been approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee where Peters serves as chair and Portman serves as ranking member. The two bills, the Cyber Incident Reporting Act and the... Read More »
CARB-X pursuit of antibiotic resistant bacteria countermeasures reach 95 projects in fifth year
According to the latest annual report from the global nonprofit partnership CARB-X, at the close of its fifth fiscal year it has provided as much as $361 million to 92 projects seeking solutions to antibiotic resistant bacteria, gathered new partners under its umbrella and continually grown its... Read More »
Senate bill seeks to improve cybersecurity in the U.S.
A pair of lawmakers have introduced a measure that seeks to improve the nationʻs cybersecurity. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) recently introduced the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act,... Read More »
Senators introduce resolution making October National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Jackie Rosen (D-NV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Angus King (I-ME), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced a resolution Thursday that would designate October 2021 as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. As part of the... Read More »
Border Patrol seizes 1,000 fentanyl pills at Highway 111 checkpoint
Following investigation by Border Patrol agents in Southern California -- El Centro Sector -- some 1,000 fentanyl pills were seized last week at a checkpoint and two United States citizens arrested for smuggling. A pair of 33-year-old men were detained with what amounted to $6,500 worth of... Read More »
DHS awards $1 million to firm for soft target, crowded places software security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded $999,644 to a California-based small business, Karagozian & Case, Inc., for development of an advanced software option that would allow security professionals to view their environments through a mobile device. “As crowded places... Read More »
Study examines substance use, COVID-19 risk
A National Institutes of Health (NIH) study has determined vaccinated persons with substance use disorders are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. “First and foremost, vaccination is highly effective for people with substance use disorders, and the overall risk of COVID-19 among vaccinated people... Read More »
Moderna initiates Africa-based mRNA facility
Moderna officials said the company is slated to build a messenger RNA (mRNA) facility in Africa, producing up to 500 million vaccine doses annually at the 50 microgram dose level. “Since Moderna’s founding in 2010, our mission has been to make a transformative impact on human lives through... Read More »
Cybersecurity bills advance in U.S. Senate
Two bipartisan bills from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) on cybersecurity and infrastructure were approved by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee and now head to the full Senate for a vote. The bills, which require critical infrastructure owners... Read More »
Bill seeks to address critical infrastructure cyber attacks
A pair of lawmakers have introduced a measure they said is designed to protect systemically important critical infrastructure (SICI) from cyber attacks. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) recently detailed the the Securing Systemically Important Critical Infrastructure Act,... Read More »
BARDA to support Phase 3 trial of treatment for C. difficile bacterial infections
VE303, an oral treatment developed by Vedanta Biosciences for patients at high risk of recurrent C. difficile infections (CDI), will get a Phase 3 clinical evaluation trial, thanks to support from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). Support from the U.S. government... Read More »
WHO approves world’s first malaria vaccine for children
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the first vaccine to treat malaria in children, a mosquito-borne disease that kills more than 260,000 children under the age of five annually in sub-Saharan Africa, in what public health officials have called a historic development. “The... Read More »
AstraZeneca requests FDA emergency use authorization for long-acting COVID-19 antibody combination
Although its COVID-19 vaccine was never authorized for use in the United States, AstraZeneca submitted a request with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week seeking emergency use authorization (EUA) for its long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination for use against symptomatic... Read More »
Johnson & Johnson requests FDA emergency use authorization for COVID-19 booster vaccine
Ending speculation, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) this week officially submitted data to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to request emergency use authorization (EUA) for a booster version of its COVID-19 vaccine among patients at least 18 years old. Recent data showed that the J&J... Read More »
DHS completes vaccination campaign for Afghan evacuees
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) completed Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), a nationwide vaccination campaign focused on Afghan evacuees temporarily housed at eight domestic military installations. As part of the initiative, 49,000 evacuees have been immunized for measles, mumps, rubella... Read More »
Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense warns of biological threats to critical U.S. infrastructure
In a new report issued this week, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense warned that the United States needs to protect infrastructure, share and secure information, and maintain public works and services, or risk further devastation from biological threats like COVID-19. The report was titled... Read More »
Dynavax to develop adjuvant plague vaccine under $22 million DoD contract
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) awarded an agreement worth approximately $22 million to the biopharmaceutical developer Dynavax Technologies Corporation this week, giving it two and a half years to develop an adjuvanted recombinant plague vaccine. That vaccine will be adjuvanted with... Read More »
Sens. Peters, Portman release legislation bolstering federal cybersecurity
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) released the text of their legislation that would strengthen cybersecurity across the federal government. The legislation, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2021, would update existing legislation which has not been updated... Read More »
FDA to meet on authorizing COVID-19 boosters, child vaccines
According to an announcement from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week, two upcoming meetings of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will be held next week to address the newest COVID-19 vaccine data. These meetings will be... Read More »
DHS initiates air domain awareness demonstrations at northern border
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said the agency is evaluating air domain awareness technologies as a means of protecting northern border airspace. S&T’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory recently spearheaded a test team that... Read More »
Biological Weapons Policy Act seeks crackdown on bioweapons, countries of concern
A bill introduced last week by U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the Biological Weapons Policy Act (S. 2912), seeks to quash further bioweapons development through greater scrutiny of U.S. research collaborations, greater State Department oversight and use of United Nations tools. Specifically, the bill... Read More »
Senate Republicans introduce Afghanistan measure
U.S. Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Jim Risch (R-ID) have joined 21 Senate colleagues in introducing a measure they said addresses concerns regarding Afghanistan's leadership and accountability. The Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act would, among other provisions, form... Read More »
Report shows reduction in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths among users of Merck antiviral
Results of an interim analysis for the Phase 3 trial of molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral for COVID-19 produced by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, showed the drug capable of cutting hospitalization or death risk approximately in half. For the purposes of the trial, over the... Read More »
Lawrence Livermore scientists develop antidote to treat sarin exposure, research other nerve agents
Nerve agent poisoning can result in a quick death, causing the central and peripheral nervous systems to shut down. For those fortunate enough to receive medical care and survive exposure, long-lasting side effects are probable, including seizures, extreme muscle spasms, and diminished mental... Read More »
Phase 3 trial for Regeneron COVID-19 treatment shows 70 percent reductions in hospitalization or death
Safe and effective: this was the verdict of Phase 3 trial results for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s REGEN-COV COVID-19 treatment, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this week. That trial reportedly met both its primary and secondary endpoints, inducing... Read More »BARDA, Clarivate partner on therapeutics to treat chlorine and sulfur mustard injuries
An ages-old issue may be on the road to modern solutions, thanks to a new collaboration between the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Clarivate that will use advanced computer methods to find therapeutics for use on chlorine and sulfur mustard-caused... Read More »Reps. request information on COVID-19 breakthrough infections
U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader; Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Subcommittee on Health Republican Leader; and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Republican Leader, have asked information on breakthrough cases of... Read More »
Bill addresses critical infrastructure cyber attack reporting
A pair of lawmakers have introduced a bill they said requires critical infrastructure owners and operators to report cyber attacks to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Officials said the Cyber Incident Reporting Act, presented by Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob... Read More »