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On Thursday, U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA), Rob Wyden (D-OR), Cynthia Lummus (R-WY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced legislation to combat illicit goods, including fentanyl, from entering the country.
The legislation, the Fighting Illicit Goods, Helping Trustworthy... Read More »
Fearing the potential behind a recent outbreak of avian flu (H5N1), 17 U.S. senators wrote to Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack this week urging a more coordinated approach between federal, public and state agencies.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... Read More »
In a letter to the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO), House Republican leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee and its subcommittees urged an investigation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and how it protects research funds from Chinese exploitation.
Accusing China of... Read More »
Looking to build on current RNA-based COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) recently announced the Patch Forward Prize, pledging $50 million for those who can advance patch-based vaccines.
While administering vaccines is most often... Read More »
Citing cases where cyberattacks targeted health care systems in the United States, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) recently wrote to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) requesting cybersecurity boosts for the... Read More »
After passing its final hurdles in the U.S. House, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act is headed for review by President Joe Biden.
If signed into law, the bill – S.206 –... Read More »
In a major expansion of health care offerings, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to roll out health care access to all veterans exposed to toxins and other hazards during their service as of March 5, 2024.
This will include millions of veterans, including those who served in... Read More »
With the danger posed by illicit fentanyl at the forefront of concerns for drug regulators, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently wrote to e-commerce companies collectively warning them about the legal dangers of selling pill presses.
These presses, the agency alleged, have... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) released this week a discussion draft of a new bill known as the ONSHORE Manufacturing Act, which proposes incentives to encourage domestic manufacturing of critical battlefield medicines and devices.
ONSHORE, which stands for the Our Nation’s Supply chain for... Read More »
The U.S. Justice Department recently concluded a series of nearly 200 arrests across the country as part of a large-scale operation against drug-trafficking organizations.
The cases spanned four districts and 10 states, as part of a calculated approach by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices – and... Read More »
Eying ways to improve cybersecurity among healthcare operations nationwide, the U.S. Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released new voluntary performance goals and a new gateway website this week.
“We have a responsibility to help... Read More »
On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Bob Casey and Mark Kelly (both D-AZ) introduced legislation to address the fentanyl crisis by stopping it at the southern border.
The legislation, the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act, would increase staffing capacity, as well as add technology to... Read More »
Among the items that were included in the final version of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week was $676 million in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), providing millions in coverage support for responders to the 9/11 aftermath.
The... Read More »
Opioids have remained a major focus for Congress in recent years, given the scope of their spread across the United States, and this came to a head once more this week with the House’s passage of the TRANQ Research Act (H.R.1734), which now heads to President Joe Biden.
If approved, the bill... Read More »
In letters to Congressional leadership last week, groups including the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Association of Police Officers (NAPO), and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) called for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act (S. 1271) to be... Read More »
While the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act has made it into the National Defense bill, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) this week publicly pressed for its enactment and called on the Biden administration for more resources to counter illicit drugs.
FEND Off... Read More »
Valneva SE won approval for the world’s first Chikungunya vaccine – IXCHIQ – last week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
It is a major milestone for a viral disease that has plagued humanity for decades, thanks to the bites of mosquito carriers. Although originally found... Read More »
According to an updated approach released last week by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains focused on the opioid epidemic while reckoning with an ever-changing landscape.
CBP planted its focus firmly around four areas:
... Read More »
With more than 300 proposed amendments in hand, the Working Group of Amendments to the IHR undertook a fifth round of discussions over International Health Regulations 2005 last week, setting up a path to a consolidated proposal and further discussions.
Proposed amendments considered by the... Read More »
Through Project NextGen, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded more than $1.4 billion this week to support development of new tools, technologies and trials of vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19.
Of these funds, the bulk – $1 billion – went to vaccine clinical... Read More »
While lab-based testing has advanced in many ways over the years, sample preservation still relies on refrigerated transport that can cause challenges in remote environments, and this month Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched a new program to solicit alternatives.
At... Read More »
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a group of five senators raised alarms over illicit trafficking of tobacco products, denouncing them as threats to public health and a significant source of revenue for transnational criminal organizations.
U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, M.D.... Read More »
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Chris Coons (D-DE) recently introduced legislation equipping law enforcement officers with trauma kits to respond if a civilian or officer experiences traumatic injury.
The American Law Enforcement Sustaining Aid... Read More »
Under the newly introduced Rolling Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient and Drug act, U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) last week proposed fighting drug shortages with increased domestic supplies of critical medications.
The bill would front and center... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bill Posey’s (R-FL) initiative seeking to reduce American dependence on Chinese production of heparin has been adopted into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The action was advanced by the House of Representatives. It encourages private capital to drive domestic... Read More »
Coast Guard officials have detailed Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast's 70-day counternarcotics patrol in the Eastern Pacific.
The crew crew recently returned to its homeport in Astoria, Ore., after disrupting the flow of illegal narcotics on three separate occasions during the patrol, preventing a... Read More »
The results of six competitive preparedness grant programs under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came in last week, resulting in $605 million to aid state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, nonprofit agencies, and the private sector ready for terrorism and natural... Read More »
A database could help identify and address vulnerabilities in the pharmaceutical supply chain, according to a new bill proposed in the Senate last week – the Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply Act (MAPS), allowing greater preparedness for public health threats overall.
The... Read More »
A pair of bills introduced by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) this week would authorize the federal government to investigate the health impacts of nuclear weapons and promote safe design and mass-production of genetic material through artificial gene synthesis.... Read More »
In a vote from the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, U.S. Rep. Bob Latta’s (R-OH) Helping Evaluate Appropriate Logistical Infrastructure for National Government (HEALING) Response Act (H.R. 3703) was cleared as part of a broader reauthorization legislation.
Latta’s bill, as... Read More »
A new connection announced between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) will spur development of a common language and registry of medical product regulatory information globally.
The... Read More »
In a joint statement, Colorado field offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), together with state law enforcement, this week warned people to use only prescription medications as the fentanyl poisonings surge.
According to the DEA, fentanyl... Read More »
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has indicated Keene, New Hampshire-based Cheshire Medical Center (CMC) will pay $2 million to resolve an alleged Controlled Substances Act (CSA) violation.
“Cheshire Medical Center’s failure to fulfill its obligations under the Controlled Substance Act... Read More »
As the next phase of its campaign to target and block illicit fentanyl from entering the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week announced two new operations, Artemis and Rolling Wave.
These operations will dispatch multi-disciplined, interagency jump teams to... Read More »
With reintroduction of the federal Stop Pills that Kill Act this week, U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Lou Correa (D-CA), Ken Buck (R-CO) and Greg Stanton (D-AZ) seek to institute new penalties for counterfeit pill production.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), a single kilogram of... Read More »
