Public Health
As called for under the CARES Act stimulus bill of 2020, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted an investigation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) oversight practices surrounding research into pandemic pathogens and found cause for concern.
While such... Read More »
As lawmakers process the passage of the government funding bill at the tail end of December 2022, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) announced that major portions of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act) were included in its... Read More »
Currently, immigration to the United States is still bound by the requirements of the Title 42 public health order enacted in March 2020, but while the legality of this remains bound up in court, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated this week that it is preparing for a return to Title 8... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is touting the new Home Test to Treat program, a virtual community health intervention that provides free COVID-19 health services and treatments in selected communities.
“At-home testing for COVID-19 is now widely available in the United States, as are... Read More »
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said that, last year, the Louisville Division yielded the seizure of 184,382 fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and 316 pounds of Fentanyl powder.
“Fentanyl is a national problem, and it’s landed right on our doorstep,” DEA Louisville... Read More »
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials have detailed the Omaha Division's seizure of nearly 4.7 million lethal doses of fentanyl in both pill and powder form throughout 2022.
“The amount of fentanyl we’ve seized across our Division has far surpassed our totals from last year,” DEA... Read More »
In a civil complaint filed last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a nationwide lawsuit against AmerisourceBergen Corp. and two of its subsidiaries, which together form one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors, for violating federal law on the distribution of controlled... Read More »
In a move that will affect every jurisdiction in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this week that $3.2 billion will be issued to state, local, and territorial jurisdictions to strengthen their public health workforce and its infrastructure.
The... Read More »
As part of its Antiviral Program for Pandemics (APP), meant to accelerate the discovery, development, and manufacturing of antivirals, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently awarded more than $12 million to three institutions for new therapies.
These new... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rick Scott (R-FL) are commending the House of Representatives' passage of the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act, which now moves to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.
The measure, which garnered Senate approval in June, requires federal agencies to... Read More »
Capitalistic values continue to hinder vaccine development, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first report on the global vaccine market since COVID-19, with prioritizes vaccines not being developed due to limited profit potential and limited access for lower-income countries... Read More »
Pfizer and BioNTech announced updates from a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of their bivalent booster for the COVID-19 variants Omicron BA.4/BA.5 last week, pointing to the 4-fold higher emergence of neutralizing antibody titers among treated adults older than 55, comparative to the original COVID-19... Read More »
Biopharmaceutical company Soligenix, Inc. recently received an invitation from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to submit a contract proposal for millions of dollars in development support for single vial, thermostabilized subunit vaccines for the Sudan ebolavirus... Read More »
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and SK bioscience personnel are touting a collaboration to facilitate rapid response to unknown pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential or Disease X.
The partnership agreement, in which CEPI is slated to provide up to $40 million in... Read More »
As the drug fentanyl continues to surge into the United States, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and six other Republicans added to a parallel surge of affiliated legislation to combat it last week with the introduction of the Homeland Security Fentanyl Enforcement Act (HR 9093).
The new bill would... Read More »
In order to expand the number of providers able to administer vaccines against monkeypox, smallpox, and other orthopoxviruses, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week amended its declaration of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act.
HHS Secretary... Read More »
In a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D. last month, 12 members of Congress pressed the regulator to guarantee a variety of therapeutics to ready the nation for further COVID-19 variants.
“We urge the FDA to ensure that the availability of... Read More »
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials have detailed results of a May to September 2022 enforcement operation the agency said yielded nationwide fentanyl seizures.
In conjunction with the One Pill Can Kill initiative, the DEA and law enforcement partners seized more than 10.2 million... Read More »
After the Category 1 Hurricane Fiona slammed Puerto Rico, the devastation led to President Joe Biden declaring a disaster across the island this week, followed shortly by a Public Health Emergency from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra due to flooding.
Even as Federal Emergency... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded AmerisourceBergen a $19.8 million contract to improve the delivery of monkeypox vaccines and treatments.
AmerisourceBergen was specifically tasked with expanding distribution capacity and weekly shipments. The company will... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced a new partnership with Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. this week, which seeks to create a self-amplifying messenger RNA (samRNA) vaccine for use against pandemic influenza.
This, the partners believe, would allow... Read More »
Turning to the public, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) released a Sources Sought Notice (SSN) this week to gather input on an idea for a new Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle meant to be the guiding model for health security acquisitions.
Its development could... Read More »
With signature from President Joe Biden, the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act became law last week, authorizing $270 million over five years to continue the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) and to fund a new police training program.
The legislation seeks to... Read More »
During some COVID-19 surges, U.S. hospitals were hampered in terms of staff, supplies, or space to care for patients that exceeded their normal operating capacity, though health care coalitions helped fill some gaps.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a review of eight... Read More »
Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) recently convened a roundtable in Janesville, Wis., to address the fight against fentanyl.
The effort focused on Rock County and targeted methods the federal government could aid in keeping Wisconsin communities safe.
The session involved leaders from the Rock County... Read More »
Responding to the ongoing American struggle with opioids in general and fentanyl in particular, United States Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) joined the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition (HC ARC) and other stakeholders in his state to address the larger issue of addiction and overdose.
Last... Read More »
Writing to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgrim this week, a group of Republican senators requested details on the agency’s moves to crack down on illegal narcotics and their suppliers.
Citing the ongoing opioid crisis that, as of Feb. 9, 2022, led to more than... Read More »
A Republican group of senators recently introduced a bill requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary to complete a comprehensive southern border strategy within 12 months of enactment.
U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and James... Read More »
The newly introduced Enhancing DHS Drug Seizures Act seeks to bolster efforts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detect and seize illicit drugs, including through the development of a plan for stronger public-private partnerships.
Introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and... Read More »
National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) authorities recently detailed collaboration with 94 Interpol member countries resulting in 7,800 illicit medication seizures totaling $11 million.
Operation Pangea XV was conducted from June 23-30. The scope of work included... Read More »
States and jurisdictions will begin receiving another 144,000 doses of the Bavarian Nordic JYNNEOS vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) this week as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) pivots to focus more heavily on monkeypox.
As of July 8, the Centers for... Read More »
Responding to the more than 450 cases of monkeypox reported in the United States as of July 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ordered another 2.5 million doses of Bavarian Nordic’s JYNNEOS vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox.
The case count held at 459 at the end of... Read More »
Struggling to contain a national opioid epidemic, the United States Justice Department (DOJ) Criminal Division this week gathered various law enforcement operations together under the New England Prescription Opioid (NEPO) Strike Force.
The strike force represents a renewed focus on unlawful... Read More »
Public health policy organization Trust for America’s Health and the nonprofit collective known as the Coalition for Health Funding assembled expert panelists and public health officials last week to discuss public health funding in the post-COVID landscape.
While COVID-19’s effects are... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently detailed an agreement to purchase 105 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for a fall vaccination campaign.
HHS collaborated with the U.S. Department of Defense on the $3.2 billion contract that includes a combination of... Read More »
