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By Category: Countermeasures

FDA Spends $17 Million to Go After Pathogens Faster

(Food Safety News) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is spending $17 million on technology it hopes will be fast enough to catch fresh produce with pathogen contamination. FDA has awarded a five-year contract to Illumina Inc, a San Diego-based technology company involved in accelerating genetic research. Illumina will provide FDA with its MiSeq Read More »

September 20, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Countermeasures, and Public Health
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After 8 Years, HHS Countermeasure Program Still a Work in Progress

(Global Security Newswire) A leading federal WMD defense program can cite significant successes in eight years of operations, but continues to face major complications and threats to its pool of funding. Project Bioshield was established in July 2004 with a $5.6 billion war chest intended to spur private production of medical countermeasures that would be Read More »

September 20, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Anthrax Vaccine Trial Distribution Could Begin in 2013

(Emergency Management) Nonmilitary emergency personnel could be offered the anthrax vaccine in early 2013, as part of an Obama administration plan to distribute unused federal stocks of the vaccine. The trial program would examine the potential of distributing the countermeasure to first responders who volunteer to participate in the initiative. At a joint hearing on Read More »

September 19, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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U.S. government takes threat of bird flu pandemic seriously; spends $25 billion for medical countermeasures

(Military & Aerospace Electronics) Evidently the U.S. government is taking the threat of a global bird flu pandemic very seriously, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded five contracts collectively worth as much as $25.36 billion for medical countermeasures to the H5N1 avian influenza virus. There is ample reason to Read More »

September 11, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Public Health, and Research
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BioWatch Gen-3 slips further behind schedule

(Fierce Homeland Security) Plans for deploying a fully-autonomous networked biodetection capability–known as BioWatch Gen-3–have again undergone a delay, with the Homeland Security Department announcing in late August that an anticipated solicitation is now set for late fall or early winter. An Aug. 20 FedBizOpps notice gives little further detail, only stating that the final request Read More »