Recent News

By Category: Policy & Initiatives

Congress, Bioterrorism and Asia

(The Diplomat) Last week, I wrote on the danger partisanship posed to U.S. policymaking, including foreign policy. But as former Sen. Bob Graham has suggested, political turf wars aren’t all about partisanship – politicians are quite happy to place their own influence in Congress’s myriad committees above the nation’s good. This likely won’t come as Read More »

May 15, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, South Asia, Bioterrorism, International, and Policy & Initiatives
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Approval Process Could Sink WMD Defense Bill

(Global Security Newswire) A bill intended to carry out expert advice on countering biological terrorism and other WMD threats is “almost assured of failure” in Congress as a result of self-interested legislators, former Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.) told the Huffington Post last week. The House Homeland Security Committee backed the “WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act Read More »

May 15, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biological Weapons, Bioterrorism, Countermeasures, and Policy & Initiatives
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BioThreat is Huge as is Profit Potential for PositiveID Corporation

(SmallCap Network) Everything about BioWatch Gen-3 is huge. The amount budgeted is huge: $3 billion over the next five years from the Department of Homeland Security. That is comforting as the threat from biochemical agents and other biothreats is huge. Corporations involved such as Northrop Grumman are huge. And the opportunity for PositiveID Corporation is Read More »

May 14, 2012
| Filed under North America, Bioterrorism, Countermeasures, and Policy & Initiatives
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The Food and Drug Administration’s Expanding Global Reach

(The Atlantic) The FDA has just released a classy new report on Global Engagement, summarizing its efforts to deal with issues raised by the globalization of drugs, medical devices, and foods. This is a big deal. In 2009, 300,000 foreign facilities in more than 150 countries exported $2 trillion worth of FDA-regulated products to the Read More »

May 14, 2012
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South Asia, Agriculture, International, and Policy & Initiatives
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Smallpox: the facts

(OUPblog) On this day in 1496, British doctor Edward Jenner administered the first smallpox vaccination to James Phipps, an eight-year-old boy. To mark the anniversary, we speak with Martin S. Hirsch, MD, FIDSA. Dr. Hirsch is editor-in-chief of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, professor of infectious diseases and Read More »