COVID-19 is bringing more pressure to bear on Congress to pass S. 2723, the Mitigating Emergency Drug Shortages (MEDS) Act, which has been sitting in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee since Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced it in October 2019 – a few months before the novel coronavirus emerged.
LONDON – The EU launched a “Corona” response team, bringing together oversight of all the separate strands put in place to control the virus, as the infection spread to 18 of 27 member states, with 2,100 confirmed cases and 31 deaths.
The U.S. FDA has posted an immediately-in-effect policy document regarding clinical laboratory development of diagnostics for the pathogen responsible for COVID-19 disease. The agency said the policy allows a lab to use any diagnostic before the FDA has completed an exhaustive review of the test.
BioWorld looks at translational medicine, including: Finding the next pandemic threat early on; Microglial fresh start helps heal brain trauma; Finding the silent majority; Anatomy study reveals schizophrenia subtypes; Increasing immune activity improves autoimmunity; How cancer cells hibernate…; …And who makes their bed; Blocking trash trashes MSI-hi tumors; New splicing factor implicated in muscular dystrophy.
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Agex, Altimmune, Generex, Graybug, Merck, Sonoma, Therapix.
Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Alphatec Holdings, BGI, Cetius Tech, Clearsense, Complete Genomics, Cytosorbents, Eos Imaging, Illumina, Labvantage Solutions, Leica Microsystems, Master Dynamic, MGI, Nevro, New World Development, Perkinelmer, Stimwave Technologies, Surgicalone, Transenterix, Verato.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Advaxis, Anokion, Brainstorm, Clene, Gilead, Incysus, Inflazome, Iteos, Mapkure, Neurimmune, Polypid.
Med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Anpac Bio-Medical Science, Emit, Medidata, Pillo Health, Pulmodyne, Ra Medical Systems, Nordion, Pelican Engineering, Redhawk, Roche, Sedana, Westinghouse.