Pandemic News and Research

RSS

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

VaxInnate grants license to Biological E. to develop and commercialize recombinant H1N1 vaccine in India

VaxInnate Corporation today announced that it has granted Indian biopharmaceutical company Biological E. Limited a license to its recombinant H1N1 pandemic swine flu vaccine and is collaborating to facilitate the manufacture, clinical development and commercialization of the vaccine in India.

12 Jan 2010

CEL-SCI completes validation of its GMP manufacturing facility

CEL-SCI Corporation, a late-stage oncology company and a developer of vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, announced today it has completed the validation of all critical utilities and manufacturing equipment at its GMP manufacturing facility in Maryland.

12 Jan 2010

Official H1N1-related death count approaches 13,000 worldwide, WHO says

H1N1 (swine flu) has killed 12,799 people worldwide since the virus first emerged, the WHO said on Friday, United Press International reports (1/8). According to the WHO, more than half of the H1N1-related deaths worldwide occurred in the Americas, China Daily reports (1/9).

12 Jan 2010

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals signs agreements with two additional partners

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has signed agreements with two additional partners who will exclusively represent BioCryst and its anti-viral peramivir for influenza stockpiling opportunities for territories outside of the U.S. BioCryst's new partners are Merck Serono for Europe, Russia, Canada and Singapore and Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, excluding Israel.

12 Jan 2010

Inovio Biomedical expands existing license agreement with the University of Pennsylvania

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that it has expanded its existing license agreement with the University of Pennsylvania, adding exclusive worldwide licenses for technology and intellectual property for novel DNA vaccines against pandemic influenza, Chikungunya, and foot-and-mouth disease.

11 Jan 2010

Gilbert Hospital remains one of the best choices for hospital care in the southeast valley

Gilbert Hospital continued to exceed expectations in 2009. With more than 43,190 patient visits through the emergency department, patient levels remained constant compared to 2008.

9 Jan 2010

PEPFAR's second five-year phase will strengthen healthcare systems

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, has praised the recent announcement that the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will increase its emphasis over the next five years on strengthening health systems in developing countries.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 9 Jan 2010

Green Cross seeks regulatory approval for peramivir in S.Korea

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has been informed by its partner, Green Cross Corp., that Green Cross has filed a New Drug Application (NDA) in South Korea to seek regulatory approval for intravenous (i.v.) peramivir to treat patients with influenza.

9 Jan 2010

Business leaders should continue to monitor H1N1 risk management to alleviate major impact on costs and revenues

The swine flu pandemic may be off the media’s radar screen, but business executives can ill afford to rest easy. Experts from the National Center for Critical Incident Analysis (NCCIA), who have studied how to respond to pandemics and bioterrorism attacks, warn that executives need to continue to monitor and manage unknown risk factors that might cause the flu to have a major impact upon costs and revenues.

8 Jan 2010

Initiation of double blind placebo controlled multi-center trial of DAS181 announced

NexBio, Inc. announced today the initiation of a double blind placebo controlled multi-center trial in the U.S. and Mexico of DAS181 (Fludase®) for the treatment of laboratory confirmed influenza infection.

8 Jan 2010

HHS releases nation’s first comprehensive strategy to address existing and emerging health threats

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released The National Health Security Strategy, the nation’s first comprehensive strategy focused on protecting people’s health during a large-scale emergency. The strategy sets priorities for government and non-government activities over the next four years.

8 Jan 2010

Canada supports Mexico's pandemic response efforts

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, on behalf of the Government of Canada, has announced it will be providing five million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to Mexico to help bridge that country's immediate pandemic vaccine requirements. This is not a donation. Mexico will replenish Canada's H1N1 vaccine supply by March 31, 2010.

7 Jan 2010

Developing countries reassess need for donated H1N1 vaccine

As the number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in some regions of the world continues to fall, developing countries scheduled to receive donated H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines from the WHO are reassessing just how many vaccines their countries need, the Canadian Press reports.

6 Jan 2010

LiveProcess platform allows hospitals to gather and distribute critical information during H1N1 pandemic

In Riverside County, California, one of the 32 states where the H1N1 pandemic continues to be widespread, there were 2478 hospitalizations/reported cases and 30 deaths from H1N1 as of December 16, 2009, and at press time, that number was still climbing. Riverside is the state’s fastest growing county and fifth largest in the country.

6 Jan 2010

Opinions: U.S. medical emergency response; micronutrients; rotavirus vaccine; antibiotic development

"[D]espite the tireless efforts of public health and health-care workers, America's experience with H1N1 shows that the nation is not prepared to deal with a flu pandemic," former Democratic Senator Bob Graham and former Republican Senator Jim Talent write in Washington Post opinion piece that examines U.S. preparedness for medical emergencies. The writers chaired the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

6 Jan 2010

Vienna scientists develop new technique for producing H1N1 vaccines

Scientists in Vienna have developed a new technique for producing vaccines for H1N1, 'swine flu', based on insect cells. The research, published today in the Biotechnology Journal, reveals how influenza vaccines can be produced faster than through the traditional method of egg-based production, revealing a new strategy for the fight against influenza pandemics.

5 Jan 2010

New York Times examines U.S. H1N1 reponse

As the number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in the U.S. continues to wane, the New York Times reflects on how federal officials handled the pandemic and other contributing factors.

5 Jan 2010

U.S. encounter with swine flu highlights health system weaknesses

As the number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in the U.S. continues to wane, the New York Times reflects on how federal officials handled the pandemic and other factors that helped the situation. "The outbreak highlighted many national weaknesses: old, slow vaccine technology; too much reliance on foreign vaccine factories; some major hospitals pushed to their limits by a relatively mild epidemic," the newspaper writes.

4 Jan 2010

Cepheid granted EUA for Xpert Flu A Panel test

Cepheid today announced it has been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Xpert® Flu A Panel test.

4 Jan 2010

Nukepills.com delivers 5.4 million doses of Potassium Iodide to protect people from nuclear radiation

For Nukepills.com, specialists in the niche market of radiation emergency preparedness, 2009 was a year of record sales due to events such as Iran's nuclear program, nuclear plant radiation leaks, Potassium Iodide distribution programs and worries of dirty bombs.

31 Dec 2009

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

VaxInnate grants license to Biological E. to develop and commercialize recombinant H1N1 vaccine in India

CEL-SCI completes validation of its GMP manufacturing facility

Official H1N1-related death count approaches 13,000 worldwide, WHO says

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals signs agreements with two additional partners

Inovio Biomedical expands existing license agreement with the University of Pennsylvania

Gilbert Hospital remains one of the best choices for hospital care in the southeast valley

PEPFAR's second five-year phase will strengthen healthcare systems

Green Cross seeks regulatory approval for peramivir in S.Korea

Business leaders should continue to monitor H1N1 risk management to alleviate major impact on costs and revenues

Initiation of double blind placebo controlled multi-center trial of DAS181 announced

HHS releases nation’s first comprehensive strategy to address existing and emerging health threats

Canada supports Mexico's pandemic response efforts

Developing countries reassess need for donated H1N1 vaccine

LiveProcess platform allows hospitals to gather and distribute critical information during H1N1 pandemic

Opinions: U.S. medical emergency response; micronutrients; rotavirus vaccine; antibiotic development

Vienna scientists develop new technique for producing H1N1 vaccines

New York Times examines U.S. H1N1 reponse

U.S. encounter with swine flu highlights health system weaknesses

Cepheid granted EUA for Xpert Flu A Panel test

Nukepills.com delivers 5.4 million doses of Potassium Iodide to protect people from nuclear radiation

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

Latest News